National Reference Center (NRC) for Listeria monocytogenes

Important message: Increase in the number of cases of Listeriosis (28/02/2024) 

Since the end of 2023, Belgium has seen a sharp increase in the number of cases of Listeriosis, a food-borne infection caused by the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes (Figure 1). This elevation is largely caused by one specific cluster with 19 cases of a serotype 4b strain (determined by WGS analysis). The first case dates from March 2023, but since December there has been a remarkable increase, with a total of 12 new cases. Interestingly, these cases are not limited to a specific region but are spread across Flanders as well as one case in Brussels and one in Wallonia (Figure 2). This increase has concerned authorities and health experts, and urgent action is being taken to understand and control the causes of this increase. All clinical laboratories are asked to report all cases of Listeriosis and transfer the isolates to the NRC for further analysis.

Listeriosis is a serious disease mainly affecting people with weakened immune systems, pregnant women, newborns, and the elderly. Symptoms range from fever, muscle pain, and nausea to more serious complications such as meningitis and blood poisoning. Products that carry an increased risk of Listeria contamination often include foods that are kept at refrigerator temperature for extended periods and/or foods that are not heated before consumption (soft cheeses, raw milk, and its products, smoked fish, insufficiently heated meats such as pâté and ham, pre-cut salads). Persons at increased risk are encouraged to avoid these foods or heat them thoroughly before consumption.

Figure 1: Summary of the total number of Listeriosis cases reported to the NRC Listeria by month.

Figure 2: Geographical distribution (A) and timeline (B) of the cluster of serotype 4b.

Helpful links:

At the bottom of this page, you can find the NRC reports.

You can consult the accompanying epidemiological surveillance reports at: Health topic Listeriosis.

Responsible laboratories

Coordinator

Year Description
2017 PDF icon Listeria 2017 Rapport CNR
2017 PDF icon Listeria 2017 NRC rapport
2015 PDF icon Listeria 2015 Rapport CNR
2015 PDF icon Listeria 2015 NRC rapport
2014 PDF icon Listeria 2014 Rapport CNR
2014 PDF icon Listeria 2014 NRC rapport
2013 PDF icon Listeria 2013 Rapport CNR
2013 PDF icon Listeria 2013 NRC rapport
2012 PDF icon Listeria 2012 Rapport CNR
2012 PDF icon Listeria 2012 NRC rapport
2011 PDF icon Listeria 2011 Rapport CNR
2011 PDF icon Listeria 2011 NRC rapport

QR code

QR code for this page URL