الفهرس 
IntroductionOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
The importance of meat in the diet is as a concentrated source of protein which is not only of high biological value but its amino acid composition complements that of cereal and other vegetable proteins. It is also a good source of iron and zinc and several B vitamins, and liver is a very rich source of vitamin A. However consumption of such palatable and nutritious foods may cause many hazards to the consumers probably due to contamination with various food borne pathogens such as L. monocytogenes, therefore, the safety of meat calls for control throughout the food chain from the farm of origin, and inspection before and after slaughter, to the handling and storage of meat and the products until the time it is consumed.
Listeriosis is a serious public health issue due to its severity of infection and high case fatality rate. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are an estimated 2,500 cases of Listeriosis in the United States each year, resulting in 500 deaths FDA-FSIS (2003). Persons with compromised immune systems, pregnant women, neonates, and the elderly are at the greatest risk of Listeriosis.
Therefore, this study was designed to throw a light on the incidence of L. spp. in some slaughtered animals in Governmental abattoirs as well as detection the virulence genes beside its pathogenicity by detection of listeriolysin O virulence gene.
So a total of 630 specimens were collected from 90 apparent healthy slaughtered carcasses (30 each of cattle, buffalo and sheep) after their post-mortem examination and passed as fit for human consumption. Such samples representing (Heart, Liver, kidney, muscle, mesenteric L.N., Skin of neck .and intestinal content) were