listeria
noun/lɪˈstɪriə/
Frequency rank: #18,545 of 20,003 in the WORDED list (wordfreq data)
Meaning
a type of harmful bacteria that can contaminate food and cause serious infection, especially dangerous to pregnant women and the elderly.
Example sentence
The restaurant was forced to close after inspectors found listeria contamination in its refrigerated deli meats.
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