: Investigation of Fitness in Soil Does Not Support the Relevance of Ecotypes.

() is a ubiquitous bacterium that causes the serious foodborne illness listeriosis. Although soil is a primary reservoir and a central habitat for , little information is available on the genetic features underlying the fitness of strains in this complex habitat. The aim of this study was to identify (i) correlations between the strains fitness in soil, their origin and their phylogenetic position (ii) identify genetic markers allowing to survive in the soil.