Listeriosis is an emerging zoonotic infection of humans and ruminants worldwide 
caused by Listeria monocytogenes (LM). In both host species, CNS disease 
accounts for the high mortality associated with listeriosis and includes 
rhombencephalitis, whose neuropathology is strikingly similar in humans and 
ruminants. This review discusses the current knowledge about listeric 
encephalitis, and involved host and bacterial factors. There is an urgent need 
to study the molecular mechanisms of neuropathogenesis, which are poorly 
understood. Such studies will provide a basis for the development of new 
therapeutic strategies that aim to prevent LM from invading the brain and spread 
within the CNS.