| Summary: | One of the aims of microbial diversity studies is to indicate the structure of a community in a specific place, allowing species identification and population quantification. Food factories need to be monitored for contamination by surface analyses, indicating a possible flux of pathogens in order that they may be interrupted before the contamination of the final product occurs. Combining studies of microbial diversity with contamination control programs, it is possible to identify species and to track possible routes of contamination. The study was restricted to an important bacterium affecting a single sample factory. The genus Listeria comprises six species, and L. monocytogenes is a human pathogenic bacterium. The study pointed to the uninterrupted flux of two species of the genus (L. innocua and L. welshimeri) from possible sources of contamination to points of contact with the final product. However, the bacterium L. monocytogenes was only found at the sources. Concerning genus diversity, a community of 66.07% of L. innocua, 17.86% of L. monocytogenes, 15.18% of L. welshimeri and 0.89% L. grayi murray was identified.
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