Risk Factors and Prevalence of Animal and Human Listeriosis in New Valley and El Behera Governorates, Egypt.

Zoonotic diseases represent a major public health risk, pose a direct threat to human health, and may even lead to death. The current study aimed to investigate the prevalence of Listeria monocytogenes in animals and humans in New Valley, and El Behera Governorates, Egypt, study their most important risk factors and suggest prevention and control plans. A total number of 2097 samples were collected from feces (1039) and milk (664), in addition to human stool samples (394). Isolation and identification of L. monocytogenes was performed using conventional cultural and biochemical methods. Out of all examined samples, the overall prevalence of L. monocytogenes was 8.3% in human samples. On the other hand, the overall prevalence of L. monocytogenes was 13.4 % in animals. The highest occurrence of L. monocytogenes was detected in goat (31.6%) followed by sheep (17.9%), then cattle (6.3%). Animal feces showed a higher occurrence of L. monocytogenes (19.9%) than milk samples (3.3%). The high prevalence of L. monocytogenes in both animal and human samples reveals that animal feces and milk act as a serious source of listeriosis and alarming the circulation L. monocytogenes between animals and human as an important zoonotic pathogen. The most important risk factors for listeriosis are locality, age, sex, and health status of animals and humans.