Listeriosis Farming Note

Listeriosis, also known as ‘circling disease or ‘silage sickness’ is caused by the main bacterium in the Listeria genus, Listeria monocytogenes (L.mono), which is naturally highly prevalent in the environment. However when bacteria numbers multiply they can overwhelm the animal’s immune response. The disease can be contracted by humans through eating contaminated meat and dairy products, therefore control at the on-farm level is crucial from a public health perspective.

This Farming Note covers:

• The clinical signs of listeriosis
• Presence of the disease in the environment
• Prevention of transmission to humans
• Treatment and prognosis of the disease
• Practical measures to reduce the risk

Issued August 2013.

About Kingshay Farming Notes

Since 1991 Kingshay has been publishing Farming Notes on issues critical to the success of a modern dairy farm business. These briefings provide dairy farmers, large animal vets, farm consultants and other interested parties with the most important and timely information in a concise two-page format. The information contained in our Farming Notes is written and updated by our experts to ensure accuracy and save you time.

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