L. monocytogenes
- noun
- Specialized
:
L. monocytogenes
- Pregnant women are advised to avoid certain foods because they may be contaminated with L. monocytogenes.
Examples
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L. monocytogenes is a significant cause of food-borne illness in many countries worldwide.
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The outbreak was traced back to L. monocytogenes contamination.
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The medical team conducted tests and confirmed the presence of L. monocytogenes in the patient's system.
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Doctors are concerned about L. monocytogenes in food products.
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L. monocytogenes is a type of bacteria that can lead to severe infections if ingested through contaminated food.
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Health authorities warn that L. monocytogenes can pose serious risks to pregnant women and their babies.
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In laboratory tests, they detected L. monocytogenes, confirming the diagnosis of listeriosis.
Synonyms
1
7.6
A type of bacteria that causes serious food poisoning in people and animals
Surface Forms
Morphology
L. + monocytogenes
This is a Latinized scientific binomial (abbreviated genus + species epithet) rather than a compositional English phrase. The constituents are not ordinary English words and their classical-morphology meaning (e.g. 'monocytogenes') is unlikely to be known or to convey 'a species of bacteria that causes listeriosis' to a B1 learner, so the expression is non-compositional and opaque.
Etymology
L. monocytogenes gets its name from the group Listeria, named for surgeon Joseph Lister, and from the parts mono ('one') + cyto ('cell') + genes ('making'). It was named because this bacterium often affects a type of single white blood cell called a monocyte, so the name points to the bacteria and how it acts in the body.