[Listeria monocytogenes in food handlers: a new approach to address the dangers in food industry].

Introduction: Foodborne diseases are a high-impact health problem. Listeria monocytogenes is frequently associated with contaminated meat and dairy foods. Monitoring their presence at various stages during production is important to control the spread of this microorganism.

Objective: To determine the prevalence of L. monocytogenes in meat and dairy food handlers in ten departments of Colombia and to find an association between the presence of this microorganism and possible risk factors.

Materials And Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out to determine the presence of L. monocytogenes in fecal samples and swabs taken from the hands of 1322 food handlers. A questionnaire was applied to determine possible risk factors and a statistical analysis was carried out to determine frequencies and relationships between potential risk factors and the presence of L. monocytogenes.

Results: 138 (10.4%) food handlers were positive for L. monocytogenes and a statistically significant association was found between the presence of this microorganism and the following risk factors: "Lack of knowledge about the concept of cross-contamination" (OR ( CI 95%) = 1.518 P = 0.004), and "Not practicing cleaning and disinfection procedures appropriately" (OR ( CI 95%) = 1.292 P = 0.005) CONCLUSION: Prevalence of L. monocytogenes carriers was established among meat and dairy food handlers and food handlers practices were associated as risk factors for carrier condition. This study is a useful tool for the monitoring, epidemiological characterization and definition of strategies to control this pathogen.