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PetriKey

Bacterium

Listeria monocytogenes

Tumbling motility Gram-positive rod

lis-TEER-ee-uh mon-oh-sy-TAH-jeh-neez

Gram positivebacteriagram-positiverodintracellularmotilityfoodborne

High-yield clue

Gram-positive rod + tumbling motility + intracellular actin-tail vocabulary.

Overview

A Gram-positive rod used in coursework for intracellular movement vocabulary, tumbling motility, and foodborne exposure associations.

Classification

  • Gram-positive
  • Rod
  • Facultative intracellular concept

Lab & identification clues

  • Tumbling motility vocabulary
  • Narrow beta-hemolysis teaching clue
  • Intracellular movement concept

Associations

  • Foodborne exposure vocabulary
  • Pregnancy/neonatal coursework association
  • Cell-mediated immunity concept

Commonly confused with

  • Corynebacterium diphtheriae
  • Streptococcus agalactiae

Frequently asked questions

What is Listeria monocytogenes?

A Gram-positive rod used in coursework for intracellular movement vocabulary, tumbling motility, and foodborne exposure associations.

What is the Gram stain of Listeria monocytogenes?

Listeria monocytogenes is Gram positive.

What are the lab clues for Listeria monocytogenes?

Lab clues for Listeria monocytogenes include Tumbling motility vocabulary, Narrow beta-hemolysis teaching clue, and Intracellular movement concept.

What is Listeria monocytogenes commonly confused with?

Listeria monocytogenes is commonly confused with Corynebacterium diphtheriae and Streptococcus agalactiae.

Original student-study summary. Sources checked: OpenStax Microbiology 2e, NCBI Bookshelf Medical Microbiology, and CDC topic pages where applicable; reviewed 2026-06. Educational only; no diagnosis, treatment, dosing, or specimen-handling guidance.

OpenStax: Microbiology 2e organism classification foundations - sourceNCBI Bookshelf: Medical Microbiology organism chapters - sourceCDC: CDC disease and public-health topic pages - source