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Where does the name Listeria come from ?

The bacterium Listeria was named in honour of Joseph Lister (1827-1912), an English surgeon, who introduced modern antiseptic surgery. He demonstrated in 1865 that carbolic acid was an effective antiseptic agent, decreasing postoperative fatalities from infection.

More bacterial names formed from personal names : http://www.bacterio.cict.fr/personalnames.html