{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,24]],"date-time":"2026-07-24T03:30:28Z","timestamp":1784863828034,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":48,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"18","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,9,12]],"date-time":"2024-09-12T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1726099200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Foods"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The present study describes the genetic characterization of L. monocytogenes strains found in the Republic of Kosovo\u2019s food chain. From 2016 to 2022, 995 samples were collected. Overall, 648 samples were from ready-to-eat (RTE) food products, 281 from food products consumed cooked (FPCC), 60 from raw materials, and 6 from environmental samples. Overall, 11.76% (117 out of 995) of the samples were contaminated by L. monocytogenes, comprising 6.33% (41 out of 648) from RTE products, 14.95% (42 out of 281) from FPCC, 55.00% (33 out of 60) from raw materials, and 16.66% (1 out of 6) from environmental samples. All isolates were subjected to molecular serotyping and clonal complex (CC) identification by using real-time PCR, as well as multilocus sequence typing. All isolates were grouped into four molecular serotypes, IIa (34.19%), IIb (3.48%), IIc (32.48%), and IVb (29.91%), as well as Lineage I (33.33%) and Lineage II (66.66%). In total, 14 CCs were identified from 41 RTE isolates; however, CC29 (7), CC2 (6), and CC6 (6) were the most dominant. By contrast, CC9 was by far the most represented CC in both FPCC (21) and RM (14). Moreover, 30 isolates expressed CC1, CC2, CC4, or CC6, which are particularly associated with severe human infections.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/foods13182883","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,9,12]],"date-time":"2024-09-12T02:30:23Z","timestamp":1726108223000},"page":"2883","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Molecular Characterization of Listeria monocytogenes in the Food Chain of the Republic of Kosovo from 2016 to 2022"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Besart","family":"Jashari","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Food Microbiology, Food and Veterinary Laboratory, Food and Veterinary Agency of Kosovo, Lidhja e Pej\u00ebs 241, 10000 Pristina, Kosovo"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0001-3431-8522","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Karine","family":"Capitaine","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory for Food Safety, Salmonella and Listeria Unit, ANSES, European Union Reference Laboratory for <i>L. monocytogenes<\/i>, University of Paris-Est, 94700 Maisons-Alfort, France"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3145-8025","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Bledar","family":"Bisha","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6172-0587","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Beatrix","family":"Stessl","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Unit of Food Microbiology, Centre for Food Science and Public Veterinary Health, Clinical Department for Farm Animals and Food Systems Safety, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterin\u00e4rplatz 1, A-2110 Vienna, Austria"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0535-6025","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Katerina","family":"Blagoevska","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Food Institute, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine\u2014Skopje, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, Lazar Pop-Trajkov 5\u20137, 1000 Skopje, North Macedonia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6034-4903","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Armend","family":"Cana","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Microbiology Laboratory, University for Business and Technology\u2014Higher Education Institution, Kalabria, 10000 Pristina, Kosovo"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7448-6021","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Dean","family":"Jankuloski","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Food Institute, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine\u2014Skopje, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, Lazar Pop-Trajkov 5\u20137, 1000 Skopje, North Macedonia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8658-8874","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Benjamin","family":"F\u00e9lix","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory for Food Safety, Salmonella and Listeria Unit, ANSES, European Union Reference Laboratory for <i>L. monocytogenes<\/i>, University of Paris-Est, 94700 Maisons-Alfort, France"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,9,12]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"157","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1365-2672.1990.tb02561.x","article-title":"Growth of Listeria monocytogenes at refrigeration temperatures","volume":"68","author":"Walker","year":"1990","journal-title":"J. Appl. Bacteriol."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"63","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1365-2672.1990.tb02912.x","article-title":"The effect of pH, salt concentration and temperature on the survival and growth of Listeria monocytogenes","volume":"69","author":"Cole","year":"1990","journal-title":"J. Appl. Bacteriol."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"476","DOI":"10.1128\/mr.55.3.476-511.1991","article-title":"Listeria monocytogenes, a food-borne pathogen","volume":"55","author":"Farber","year":"1991","journal-title":"Microbiol. Rev."},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodcont.2016.12.016","article-title":"A review of Listeria monocytogenes: An update on outbreaks, virulence, dose-response, ecology, and risk assessments","volume":"75","author":"Buchanan","year":"2017","journal-title":"Food Control"},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e00579-20","DOI":"10.1128\/AEM.00579-20","article-title":"In-depth longitudinal study of Listeria monocytogenes ST9 isolates from the meat processing industry: Resolving diversity and transmission patterns using whole-genome sequencing","volume":"86","author":"Fagerlund","year":"2020","journal-title":"Appl. Environ. Microbiol."},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), and European Centre for Disease Prevention, and Control (ECDC) (2023). The European Union One Health 2022 Zoonoses Report. EFSA J., 21, e8442.","DOI":"10.2903\/j.efsa.2023.8442"},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e1863","DOI":"10.1002\/hsr2.1863","article-title":"Recurring food source-based Listeria outbreaks in the United States: An unsolved puzzle of concern?","volume":"7","author":"Mohapatra","year":"2024","journal-title":"Health Sci. Rep."},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Gilmour, M.W., Graham, M., Van Domselaar, G., Tyler, S., Kent, H., Trout-Yakel, K.M., Larios, O., Allen, V., Lee, B., and Nadon, C. (2010). High-throughput genome sequencing of two Listeria monocytogenes clinical isolates during a large foodborne outbreak. BMC Genom., 11.","DOI":"10.1186\/1471-2164-11-120"},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijfoodmicro.2011.01.005","article-title":"Review\u2014Persistence of Listeria monocytogenes in food industry equipment and premises","volume":"145","author":"Carpentier","year":"2011","journal-title":"Int. J. Food Microbiol."},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"231","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodcont.2019.02.007","article-title":"Cost estimation of listeriosis (Listeria monocytogenes) occurrence in South Africa in 2017 and its food safety implications","volume":"102","author":"Olanya","year":"2019","journal-title":"Food Control"},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"966","DOI":"10.1089\/fpd.2015.1965","article-title":"Economic cost of a Listeria monocytogenes outbreak in Canada, 2008","volume":"12","author":"Thomas","year":"2015","journal-title":"Foodborne Pathog. Dis."},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"983","DOI":"10.3201\/eid0706.010610","article-title":"Effect of prevention measures on incidence of human listeriosis, France, 1987\u20131997","volume":"7","author":"Goulet","year":"2001","journal-title":"Emerg. Infect. Dis."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1462","DOI":"10.3201\/eid2309.170336","article-title":"Real-time whole-genome sequencing for surveillance of Listeria monocytogenes, France","volume":"23","author":"Moura","year":"2017","journal-title":"Emerg. Infect. Dis."},{"key":"#cr-split#-ref_14.1","unstructured":"European Commission (2005). Commission Regulation"},{"key":"#cr-split#-ref_14.2","unstructured":"(EC) No 2073\/2005 of 15 November 2005 on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs. Off. J. Eur. Union, 338, 1-26."},{"key":"ref_15","first-page":"13","article-title":"Detection of antimicrobial sensitiveness of isolates of Listeria monocytogenes from food chain using Vitek 2 Compact Biomerieux","volume":"33","author":"Jankuloski","year":"2010","journal-title":"Maced. Vet. Rev."},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"73","DOI":"10.46784\/e-avm.v15i2.306","article-title":"Epidemiological characteristics of human listeriosis in Vojvodina, Serbia, in the period 2005\u20132020","volume":"15","author":"Pustahija","year":"2022","journal-title":"Arch. Vet. Med."},{"key":"ref_17","first-page":"205","article-title":"A case report of sporadic ovine listerial meningoencephalitis in Kosovo","volume":"56","author":"Hamidi","year":"2020","journal-title":"Vet. Ital."},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"247","DOI":"10.3855\/jidc.8256","article-title":"The prevalence of Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus and their virulence genes in bulk tank milk in Kosovo","volume":"11","author":"Mehmeti","year":"2017","journal-title":"J. Infect. Dev. Ctries."},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"77","DOI":"10.30721\/fsab2022.v5.i1.168","article-title":"The prevalence of bacterial contaminants in artisanal cheese sold in informal markets. The case of Kosovo","volume":"5","author":"Studenica","year":"2022","journal-title":"Food Sci. Appl. Biotechnol."},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1135","DOI":"10.4315\/0362-028X.JFP-19-060","article-title":"Prevalence of foodborne pathogenic bacteria, microbial levels of hygiene indicator bacteria, and concentrations of biogenic amines in ready-to-eat meat products at retail in the Republic of Kosovo","volume":"82","author":"Kukleci","year":"2019","journal-title":"J. Food Prot."},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"79","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijmm.2010.05.002","article-title":"Listeria monocytogenes lineages: Genomics, evolution, ecology, and phenotypic characteristics","volume":"301","author":"Orsi","year":"2011","journal-title":"Int. J. Med. Microbiol."},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1811","DOI":"10.4315\/0362-028X-65.11.1811","article-title":"Listeria monocytogenes virulence and pathogenicity, a food safety perspective","volume":"65","author":"Kathariou","year":"2002","journal-title":"J. Food Prot."},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"68","DOI":"10.1016\/j.mcp.2012.10.001","article-title":"Real-time PCRs assay for serogrouping Listeria monocytogenes and differentiation from other Listeria spp.","volume":"27","author":"Vitullo","year":"2013","journal-title":"Mol. Cell Probes"},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"757","DOI":"10.1128\/JCM.41.2.757-762.2003","article-title":"Development of a multilocus sequence typing method for analysis of Listeria monocytogenes clones","volume":"41","author":"Salcedo","year":"2003","journal-title":"J. Clin. Microbiol."},{"key":"ref_25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Ragon, M., Wirth, T., Hollandt, F., Lavenir, R., Lecuit, M., Le Monnier, A., and Brisse, S. (2008). A new perspective on Listeria monocytogenes evolution. PLoS Pathog., 4.","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.ppat.1000146"},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Pietzka, A., Allerberger, F., Murer, A., Lennkh, A., Stoger, A., Rosel, A.C., Huhulescu, S., Maritschnik, S., Springer, B., and Lepuschitz, S. (2019). Whole genome sequencing based surveillance of L. monocytogenes for early detection and investigations of listeriosis outbreaks. Front. Public Health, 7.","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2019.00139"},{"key":"ref_27","first-page":"e000257","article-title":"LiSEQ\u2014Whole-genome sequencing of a cross-sectional survey of Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods and human clinical cases in Europe","volume":"5","author":"Painset","year":"2019","journal-title":"Microb. Genom."},{"key":"ref_28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Felix, B., Capitaine, K., Te, S., Felten, A., Gillot, G., Feurer, C., van den Bosch, T., Torresi, M., Sreterne Lancz, Z., and Delannoy, S. (2023). Identification by high-throughput real-time PCR of 30 major circulating Listeria monocytogenes clonal complexes in Europe. Microbiol. Spectr., 11.","DOI":"10.1128\/spectrum.03954-22"},{"key":"ref_29","unstructured":"(2017). Microbiology of Food and Feeding Stuffs. Horizontal Method for the Detection and Enumeration of Listeria monocytogenes and Listeria spp.\u2014Part 1. Detection Method. Standard No. EN ISO 11290-1\/2017."},{"key":"ref_30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"13","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijfoodmicro.2018.03.024","article-title":"Validation of standard method EN ISO 11290\u2014Part 1\u2014Detection of Listeria monocytogenes in food","volume":"288","author":"Lombard","year":"2019","journal-title":"Int. J. Food Microbiol."},{"key":"ref_31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1857","DOI":"10.1128\/aem.58.6.1857-1860.1992","article-title":"API Listeria, a new and promising one-day system to identify Listeria isolates","volume":"58","author":"Bille","year":"1992","journal-title":"Appl. Environ. Microbiol."},{"key":"ref_32","first-page":"702E","article-title":"Molecular typing of Listeria monocytogenes strains isolated from food, feed and animals: State of play and standard operating procedures for pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) typing, profile interpretation and curation","volume":"11","author":"Roussel","year":"2014","journal-title":"EFSA Support. Publ."},{"key":"ref_33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"134","DOI":"10.1016\/j.mimet.2009.11.008","article-title":"Evaluation of a multiplex PCR assay as an alternative method for Listeria monocytogenes serotyping","volume":"80","author":"Kerouanton","year":"2010","journal-title":"J. Microbiol. Methods"},{"key":"ref_34","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Felix, B., Feurer, C., Maillet, A., Guillier, L., Boscher, E., Kerouanton, A., Denis, M., and Roussel, S. (2018). Population genetic structure of Listeria monocytogenes strains isolated from the pig and pork production chain in France. Front. Microbiol., 9.","DOI":"10.3389\/fmicb.2018.00684"},{"key":"ref_35","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"308","DOI":"10.1038\/ng.3501","article-title":"Uncovering Listeria monocytogenes hypervirulence by harnessing its biodiversity","volume":"48","author":"Maury","year":"2016","journal-title":"Nat. Genet."},{"key":"ref_36","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"321","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodcont.2015.04.030","article-title":"Phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of Listeria monocytogenes strains isolated during 2011\u20132014 from different food matrices in Switzerland","volume":"57","author":"Ebner","year":"2015","journal-title":"Food Control"},{"key":"ref_37","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Kubicova, Z., Roussel, S., Felix, B., and Cabanova, L. (2021). Genomic diversity of Listeria monocytogenes isolates from Slovakia (2010 to 2020). Front. Microbiol., 12.","DOI":"10.3389\/fmicb.2021.729050"},{"key":"ref_38","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"203","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijfoodmicro.2012.07.016","article-title":"Antimicrobial susceptibilities of Listeria monocytogenes strains isolated from food and food processing environment in Poland","volume":"158","author":"Korsak","year":"2012","journal-title":"Int. J. Food Microbiol."},{"key":"ref_39","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1002","DOI":"10.4315\/JFP-19-525","article-title":"Occurrence and characteristics of Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat meat products in Poland","volume":"83","author":"Stasiak","year":"2020","journal-title":"J. Food Prot."},{"key":"ref_40","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Daza, P.B., Pietzka, A., Martinovic, A., Ruppitsch, W., and Zuber, B.I. (2024). Surveillance and genetic characterization of Listeria monocytogenes in the food chain in Montenegro during the period 2014\u20132022. Front. Microbiol., 15.","DOI":"10.3389\/fmicb.2024.1418333"},{"key":"ref_41","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"189","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijfoodmicro.2004.11.006","article-title":"Fate of Listeria monocytogenes in experimentally contaminated French sausages","volume":"101","author":"Christieans","year":"2005","journal-title":"Int. J. Food Microbiol."},{"key":"ref_42","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1863","DOI":"10.4315\/0362-028X.JFP-12-505","article-title":"Listeria monocytogenes in five Sardinian swine slaughterhouses: Prevalence, Serotype and Genotype Characterization","volume":"76","author":"Meloni","year":"2013","journal-title":"J. Food Prot."},{"key":"ref_43","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"24","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodcont.2012.06.047","article-title":"Listeria monocytogenes prevalence and serotype diversity in various foods","volume":"30","author":"Kramarenko","year":"2013","journal-title":"Food Control"},{"key":"ref_44","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1297","DOI":"10.4315\/0362-028X-69.6.1297","article-title":"Characterization of Listeria monocytogenes isolates from 50 small-scale Austrian cheese factories","volume":"69","author":"Wagner","year":"2006","journal-title":"J. Food Prot."},{"key":"ref_45","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"71","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijfoodmicro.2006.06.013","article-title":"Listeria monocytogenes food monitoring data and incidence of human listeriosis in Hungary, 2004","volume":"112","author":"Kiss","year":"2006","journal-title":"Int. J. Food Microbiol."},{"key":"ref_46","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2488","DOI":"10.1038\/s41467-019-10380-0","article-title":"Hypervirulent Listeria monocytogenes clones\u2019 adaption to mammalian gut accounts for their association with dairy products","volume":"10","author":"Maury","year":"2019","journal-title":"Nat. Commun."},{"key":"ref_47","first-page":"7413E","article-title":"Guidelines for reporting Whole Genome Sequencing-based typing data through the EFSA One Health WGS System","volume":"19","author":"Authority","year":"2022","journal-title":"EFSA Support. Publ."}],"container-title":["Foods"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2304-8158\/13\/18\/2883\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T15:54:21Z","timestamp":1760111661000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2304-8158\/13\/18\/2883"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2024,9,12]]},"references-count":48,"journal-issue":{"issue":"18","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,9]]}},"alternative-id":["foods13182883"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/foods13182883","relation":{},"ISSN":["2304-8158"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2304-8158","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2024,9,12]]}}}