The disease caused by such bacteria could lead to meningitis.

A number of items have been removed from Irish supermarket shelves over fears that they may contain traces of harmful bacteria. As a precautionary measure, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) - along with Wonderfoods - have recalled certain salads that contain a batch of bacon that possibly contains Listeria monocytogenes. The items affected are Wonderfoods salads, sold at both Dunnes Stores and Aldi. The precautionary recall of the items was carried out following a routine sampling by the Dublin-based company. Dunnes Stores Chicken, Bacon & Sweetcorn Deli Filler (175g) with use-by dates of between 13 April and 20 April and Aldi Specially Selected Baby Potato with Bacon Salad (240g) with use-by dates of between 13 April and 18 April were subject to the recall.   Listeria monocytogenes is a bacterium which is ubiquitous in the environment. According to the FSAI, it is a gram-positive, non spore-forming, facultative anaerobic short rod. It is a pathogenic bacterium which causes a group of diseases which are collectively known as listeriosis. Listeria food poisoning can happen to anyone, and is especially dangerous for those who contract it while pregnant, or those who have weakened immune systems. Listeriosis can manifest itself as sepsis, meningitis, encephalitis, intrauterine infections and spontaneous abortions in pregnant women. A downloadable PDF on the bacterium Listeria Monocytogenes with information on the nature of the disease and how to control it can be found on the FSAI website.