Listeria monocytogenes: towards a complete picture of its physiology and pathogenesis

Microbe Profile: Listeria monocytogenes: a paradigm among intracellular bacterial pathogens

Listeria monocytogenes is a food-borne bacterial pathogen that is responsible for listeriosis, a disease characterized by occasional febrile gastroenteritis in immunocompetent individuals, abortions in pregnant women, meningitis in the newborn and fatal bacteraemia in immunocompromised individuals or the elderly. The ability of L. monocytogenes to produce disease is intimately associated with its potential to traverse several human barriers (including the intestinal, placental and blood/brain barriers), to promote its internalization within diverse populations of epithelial cells and to proliferate in the intra-ic environment while escaping host immune responses. L. monocytogenes is often regarded as a paradigm for intracellular parasitism.

Variable Carbon Source Utilization, Stress Resistance, and Virulence Profiles Among Listeria monocytogenes Strains Responsible for Listeriosis Outbreaks in Switzerland

A combination of phenotype microarrays, targeted stress resistance and virulence assays and comparative genome analysis was used to compare a set of Listeria monocytogenes strains including those involved in previous Swiss foodborne listeriosis outbreaks. Despite being highly syntenic in gene content these strains showed significant phenotypic variation in utilization of different carbon (C)-sources as well as in resistance of osmotic and pH stress conditions that are relevant to host and food associated environments. An outbreak strain from the 2005 Swiss Tomme cheese listeriosis outbreak (Lm3163) showed the highest versatility in C-sources utilized whereas the strain responsible for the 1983 to 1987 Vacherin Montd'or cheese listeriosis outbreak (LL195) showed the highest tolerance to both osmotic and pH stress conditions among the examined strains. Inclusion of L-norvaline led to enhanced resistance of acidic stress in all the examined strains and there were strain-strain-specific differences observed in the ability of other amino acids and urea to enhance acid stress resistance in L. monocytogenes. A strain dependent inhibition pattern was also observed upon inclusion of β-phenylethylamine under alkaline stress conditions. In targeted phenotypic analysis the strain-specific differences in salt stress tolerance uncovered in phenotypic microarrays were corroborated and variations in host cell invasion and virulence among the examined strains were also revealed. Outbreak associated strains representing lineage I serotype 4b showed superior pathogenicity in a zebrafish infection model whilst Lm3163 a lineage II serotype 1/2a outbreak strain demonstrated the highest cellular invasion capacity amongst the tested strains. A genome wide sequence comparison of the strains only revealed few genetic differences between the strains suggesting that variations in gene regulation and expression are largely responsible for the phenotypic differences revealed among the examined strains. Our results have generated data that provides a potential basis for the future design of improved Listeria specific media to enhance routine detection and isolation of this pathogen as well as provide knowledge for developing novel methods for its control in food.

Catalase-mimetic gold nanoparticles inhibit the antagonistic action of Lactobacillus gasseri toward foodborne enteric pathogens in associative cultures

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have been previously shown to induce gut dysbiosis during colitis in mice, but the underlying mechanism is not clear yet. Here, we evaluated the effects of AuNPs (5 nm diameter, coated with tannic acid, polyvinylpyrrolidone or citrate) on H₂O₂ accumulation and pathogen antagonization by an intestinal strain of Lactobacillus gasseri under aerobic cultural conditions. AuNPs (0.65 μg/mL) reduced over 50% of H₂O₂ accumulation by L. gasseri, and significantly inhibited the antagonistic action of L. gasseri on growth of four foodborne enteric pathogens, i.e. Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus in associative cultures.

Distribution and antimicrobial activity of lactic acid bacteria from raw camel milk

Consumer demand for natural pathogen-control agents for substitution of synthetic food preservatives and traditional antibiotics is increasing. This study aimed to reveal the distribution of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in raw camel milk and to characterize their antimicrobial traits. The genetic identification by 16S rRNA sequencing of 58 LAB isolates showed the predominance of Enterococcus (24.2%), Lactococcus (22.4%) and Pediococcus (20.7%) genera in raw camel milk. These genera exhibited inhibitory activity against a broad spectrum of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria including multidrug-resistant Salmonella. Among these LAB, two isolates-identified as Pediococcus pentosaceus CM16 and Lactobacillus brevis CM22-were selected for their strong bacteriocinogenic anti-listerial activity estimated at 1600 and 800 AU/mL, respectively. The bacteriocins produced were partially purified by ammonium sulphate precipitation and gel filtration and then biochemically characterized. The proteinaceous nature of bacteriocins was confirmed by the susceptibility to enzymes. These bacteriocins showed significant technological characteristics such as heat-resistance, and stability over a wide range of pH (2.0-10.0). In conclusion, these results indicated that Pediococcus pentosaceus CM16 and Lactobacillus brevis CM22 could be useful as potential probiotics. Moreover, their partially purified bacteriocins may play an important role as food preservatives and feed additives. To our knowledge, this is the first report describing the distribution of LAB population in raw camel milk and the characterization of their bacteriocins from the Arabian Peninsula of western Asia.

Lactobacillus casei expressing Internalins A and B reduces Listeria monocytogenes interaction with Caco-2 cells in vitro

Listeria monocytogenes has been implicated in a number of outbreaks including the recent largest outbreak in South Africa. Current methods for prevention of foodborne L. monocytogenes infection are inadequate, thus raising a need for an alternative strategy. Probiotic bioengineering is considered a prevailing approach to enhance the efficacy of probiotics for targeted control of pathogens. Here, the ability of Lactobacillus casei expressing the L. monocytogenes invasion proteins Internalins A and B (inlAB) to prevent infection was investigated. The inlAB operon was cloned and surface‐expressed on L. casei resulting in a recombinant strain, Lbc^InlAB, and subsequently, its ability to inhibit adhesion, invasion and translocation of L. monocytogenes through enterocyte‐like Caco‐2 cells was examined. Cell surface expression of InlAB on the Lbc^InlAB was confirmed by Western blotting and immunofluorescence staining. The Lbc^InlAB strain showed significantly higher (P < 0.0001) adherence, invasion and translocation of Caco‐2 cells than the wild‐type L. casei strain (Lbc^WT), as well as reduced L. monocytogenes adhesion, invasion and transcellular passage through the cell monolayer than Lbc^WT. Furthermore, pre‐exposure of Caco‐2 cells to Lbc^InlAB significantly reduced L. monocytogenes‐induced cell cytotoxicity and epithelial barrier dysfunction. These results suggest that InlAB‐expressing L. casei could be a potential practical approach for prevention of listeriosis.

Non-muscle Myosin II: Role in Microbial Infection and Its Potential as a Therapeutic Target

Currently, the major measures of preventing and controlling microbial infection are vaccinations and drugs. However, the appearance of drug resistance microbial mounts is main obstacle in current anti-microbial therapy. One of the most ubiquitous actin-binding proteins, non-muscle myosin II (NM II) plays a crucial role in a wide range of cellular physiological activities in mammals, including cell adhesion, migration, and division. Nowadays, growing evidence indicates that aberrant expression or activity of NM II can be detected in many diseases caused by microbes, including viruses and bacteria. Furthermore, an important role for NM II in the infection of some microbes is verified. Importantly, modulating the expression of NM II with small hairpin RNA (shRNA) or the activity of it by inhibitors can affect microbial-triggered phenotypes. Therefore, NM II holds the promise to be a potential target for inhibiting the infection of microbes and even treating microbial-triggered discords. In spite of these, a comprehensive view on the functions of NM II in microbial infection and the regulators which have an impact on the roles of NM II in this context, is still lacking. In this review, we summarize our current knowledge on the roles of NM II in microbial-triggered discords and provide broad insights into its regulators. In addition, the existing challenge of investigating the multiple roles of NM II in microbial infection and developing NM II inhibitors for treating these microbial-triggered discords, are also discussed.

Listeria monocytogenes: cell biology of invasion and intracellular growth

The Gram-positive pathogen Listeria monocytogenes is able to promote its entry into a diverse range of mammalian host cells by triggering plasma membrane remodeling, leading to bacterial engulfment. Upon cell invasion, L. monocytogenes disrupts its internalization vacuole and translocates to the cytoplasm, where bacterial replication takes place. Subsequently, L. monocytogenes uses an actin-based motility system that allows bacterial cytoplasmic movement and cell-to-cell spread. L. monocytogenes therefore subverts host cell receptors, organelles and the cytoskeleton at different infection steps, manipulating diverse cellular functions that include ion transport, membrane trafficking, post-translational modifications, phosphoinositide production, innate immune responses as well as gene expression and DNA stability.

Stathmin recruits tubulin to Listeria monocytogenes-induced actin comets and promotes bacterial dissemination

The tubulin cytoskeleton is one of the main components of the cytoarchitecture and is involved in several cellular functions. Here, we examine the interplay between Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) and the tubulin cytoskeleton upon cellular infection. We show that non-polymeric tubulin is present throughout Lm actin comet tails and, to a less extent, in actin clouds. Moreover, we demonstrate that stathmin, a regulator of microtubule dynamics, is also found in these Lm-associated actin structures and is required for tubulin recruitment. Depletion of host stathmin results in longer comets containing less F-actin, which may be correlated with higher levels of inactive cofilin in the comet, thus suggesting a defect on local F-actin dynamics. In addition, intracellular bacterial speed is significantly reduced in stathmin-depleted cells, revealing the importance of stathmin/tubulin in intracellular Lm motility. In agreement, the area of infection foci and the total bacterial loads are also significantly reduced in stathmin-depleted cells. Collectively, our results demonstrate that stathmin promotes efficient cellular infection, possibly through tubulin recruitment and control of actin dynamics at Lm-polymerized actin structures.

Short-term consumption of a high-fat diet increases host susceptibility to Listeria monocytogenes infection

BACKGROUND

A westernized diet comprising a high caloric intake from animal fats is known to influence the development of pathological inflammatory conditions. However, there has been relatively little focus upon the implications of such diets for the progression of infectious disease. Here, we investigated the influence of a high-fat (HF) diet upon parameters that influence Listeria monocytogenes infection in mice.

RESULTS

We determined that short-term administration of a HF diet increases the number of goblet cells, a known binding site for the pathogen, in the gut and also induces profound changes to the microbiota and promotes a pro-inflammatory gene expression profile in the host. Host physiological changes were concordant with significantly increased susceptibility to oral L. monocytogenes infection in mice fed a HF diet relative to low fat (LF)- or chow-fed animals. Prior to Listeria infection, short-term consumption of HF diet elevated levels of Firmicutes including Coprococcus, Butyricicoccus, Turicibacter and Clostridium XIVa species. During active infection with L. monocytogenes, microbiota changes were further exaggerated but host inflammatory responses were significantly downregulated relative to Listeria-infected LF- or chow-fed groups, suggestive of a profound tempering of the host response influenced by infection in the context of a HF diet. The effects of diet were seen beyond the gut, as a HF diet also increased the sensitivity of mice to systemic infection and altered gene expression profiles in the liver.

CONCLUSIONS

We adopted a systems approach to identify the effects of HF diet upon L. monocytogenes infection through analysis of host responses and microbiota changes (both pre- and post-infection). Overall, the results indicate that short-term consumption of a westernized diet has the capacity to significantly alter host susceptibility to L. monocytogenes infection concomitant with changes to the host physiological landscape. The findings suggest that diet should be a consideration when developing models that reflect human infectious disease.

Crossing the Intestinal Barrier via Listeria Adhesion Protein and Internalin A

The intestinal epithelial cell lining provides the first line of defense, yet foodborne pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes can overcome this barrier; however, the underlying mechanism is not well understood. Though the host M cells in Peyer's patch and the bacterial invasion protein internalin A (InlA) are involved, L. monocytogenes can cross the gut barrier in their absence. The interaction of Listeria adhesion protein (LAP) with the host cell receptor (heat shock protein 60) disrupts the epithelial barrier, promoting bacterial translocation. InlA aids L. monocytogenes transcytosis via interaction with the E-cadherin receptor, which is facilitated by epithelial cell extrusion and goblet cell exocytosis; however, LAP-induced cell junction opening may be an alternative bacterial strategy for InlA access to E-cadherin and its translocation. Here, we summarize the strategies that L. monocytogenes employs to circumvent the intestinal epithelial barrier and compare and contrast these strategies with other enteric bacterial pathogens. Additionally, we provide implications of recent findings for food safety regulations.

Listeriosis in mainland China: A systematic review

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review to better understand the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of listeriosis patients in mainland China.

METHODS

The six most widely used Chinese and English language databases were searched. The records of patients with listeriosis in mainland China reported during the years 2011-2017 were extracted. The clinical data of patients and information on clinical isolates of Listeria were collected and analyzed.

RESULTS

In total, 136 records were identified, reporting 562 patients with listeriosis. The number of patients was much higher than that reported in the previous decade. The 227 non-perinatal listeriosis patients included had a mortality rate of 23.78%. Of the 231 perinatal listeriosis patients, 32.68% resulted in abortion and/or newborn death. All listeriosis cases were reported as being sporadic. The listeriosis was traced to infection via a meat product in only three patients, while 33.12% were healthcare-associated infections.

CONCLUSIONS

The number of patients with listeriosis in mainland China may have been underestimated previously. Perinatal cases in mainland China account for a much higher proportion than is usually described. Considering the high number of listeriosis patients in China, a comprehensive monitoring system for Listeria is urgently needed.

Systemic Listeria monocytogenes Infection as a Model to Study T Helper Cell Immune Responses

Listeria monocytogenes, a Gram-positive facultative intracellular pathogen, has been widely used as a model for studying the immune response. Here, we describe a protocol for the systemic infection of mice with L. monocytogenes, followed by isolation of lymphocytes from spleens and lymph nodes. We also include details on how to culture and store L. monocytogenes, as well as the specifics for fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) for CD4⁺ cells in response to the systemic infection. This protocol can be adapted by changing the dosage of L. monocytogenes for a more or less aggressive infection and/or sorting for other immune cell subtypes of interest.

Role and regulation of the stress activated sigma factor sigma B (σB) in the saprophytic and host-associated life stages of Listeria monocytogenes

The stress activated sigma factor sigma B (σ^B) plays a pivotal role in allowing the food-borne bacterial pathogen Listeria monocytogenes to modulate its transcriptional landscape in order to survive in a variety of harsh environments both outside and within the host. While we have a comparatively good understanding of the systems under the control of this sigma factor much less is known about how the activity of σ^B is controlled. In this review, we present a current model describing how this sigma factor is thought to be controlled including an overview of what is known about stress sensing and the early signal transduction events that trigger its activation. We discuss the known regulatory overlaps between σ^B and other protein and RNA regulators in the cell. Finally, we describe the role of σ^B in surviving both saprophytic and host-associated stresses. The complexity of the regulation of this sigma factor reflects the significant role that it plays in the persistence of this important pathogen in the natural environment, the food chain as well as within the host during the early stages of an infection. Understanding its regulation will be a critical step in helping to develop rational strategies to prevent its growth and survival in the food destined for human consumption and in the prevention of listeriosis.

Calponins Are Recruited to Actin-Rich Structures Generated by Pathogenic Escherichia coli, Listeria, and Salmonella

The ingestion of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC), Listeria monocytogenes, or Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium leads to their colonization of the intestinal lumen, which ultimately causes an array of ailments ranging from diarrhea to bacteremia. Once in the intestines, these microbes generate various actin-rich structures to attach, invade, or move within the host intestinal epithelial cells. Although an assortment of actin-associated proteins has been identified to varying degrees at these structures, the localization of many actin stabilizing proteins have yet to be analyzed. Here, we examined the recruitment of the actin-associated proteins, calponin 1 and 2 at EPEC pedestals, L. monocytogenes actin clouds, comet tails and listeriopods, and S. Typhimurium membrane ruffles. In other systems, calponins are known to bind to and stabilize actin filaments. In EPEC pedestals, calponin 1 was recruited uniformly throughout the structures while calponin 2 was enriched at the apical tip. During L. monocytogenes infections, calponin 1 was found through all the actin-rich structures generated by the bacteria, while calponin 2 was only present within actin-rich structures formed by L. monocytogenes near the host cell membrane. Finally, both calponins were found within S. Typhimurium-generated membrane ruffles. Taken together, we have shown that although calponin 1 is recruited to actin-rich structures formed by the three bacteria, calponin 2 is specifically recruited to only membrane-bound actin-rich structures formed by the bacteria. Thus, our findings suggest that calponin 2 is a novel marker for membrane-bound actin structures formed by pathogenic bacteria. Anat Rec, 301:2103-2111, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Neuroinvasive Listeria monocytogenes Infection Triggers IFN-Activation of Microglia and Upregulates Microglial miR-155

MicroRNA (miR) miR-155 modulates microglial activation and polarization, but its role in activation of microglia during bacterial brain infection is unclear. We studied miR-155 expression in brains of C57BL/6 (B6.WT) mice infected i.p. with the neuro-invasive bacterial pathogen Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes). Infected mice were treated with ampicillin starting 2 days (d) post-infection (p.i.) and analyzed 3d, 7d, and 14d p.i. Virulent L. monocytogenes strains EGD and 10403s upregulated miR-155 in whole brain 7 d p.i. whereas infection with avirulent, non-neurotropic Δhly or ΔactA L. monocytogenes mutants did not. Similarly, infection with virulent but not mutated bacteria upregulated IFN-γ mRNA in the brain at 7 d p.i. Upregulation of miR-155 in microglia was confirmed by qPCR of flow cytometry-sorted CD45^intCD11b^pos brain cells. Subsequently, brain leukocyte influxes and gene expression in sorted microglia were compared in L. monocytogenes-infected B6.WT and B6.Cg-Mir155tm1.1Rsky/J (B6.miR-155^−/−) mice. Brain influxes of Ly-6C^high monocytes and upregulation of IFN-related genes in microglia were similar to B6.WT mice at 3 d p.i. In contrast, by d 7 p.i. expressions of microglial IFN-related genes, including markers of M1 polarization, were significantly lower in B6.miR-155^−/− mice and by 14 d p.i., influxes of activated T-lymphocytes were markedly reduced. Notably, CD45^highCD11b^pos brain cells from B6.miR-155^−/− mice isolated at 7 d p.i. expressed 2-fold fewer IFN-γ transcripts than did cells from B6.WT mice suggesting reduced IFN-γ stimulation contributed to dampened gene expression in B6.miR-155^−/− microglia. Lastly, in vitro stimulation of 7 d p.i. brain cells with heat-killed L. monocytogenes induced greater production of TNF in B6.miR-155^−/− microglia than in B6.WT microglia. Thus, miR-155 affects brain inflammation by multiple mechanisms during neuroinvasive L. monocytogenes infection. Peripheral miR-155 promotes brain inflammation through its required role in optimal development of IFN-γ-secreting lymphocytes that enter the brain and activate microglia. Microglial miR-155 promotes M1 polarization, and also inhibits inflammatory responses to stimulation by heat-killed L. monocytogenes, perhaps by targeting Tab2.

Vaccine strain Listeria monocytogenes bacteremia occurring 31 months after immunization

BACKGROUND

Listeria monocytogenes is a food-borne, facultative intracellular bacterium that causes severe diseases such as sepsis and meningoencephalitis in immunocompromised hosts. Because it stimulates robust T-lymphocyte-mediated responses, attenuated L. monocytogenes are candidate vaccine vectors for tumor immunotherapy.

CASE

We report a case of bacteremia caused by vaccine strain L. monocytogenes (Axalimogene filolisbac) occurring 31 months after immunization against human papilloma virus (HPV) associated cervical cancer.

CONCLUSION

Receipt of a L. monocytogenes-based vaccine is a novel risk factor for delayed L. monocytogenes bacteremia.

Macrophage-microbe interaction: lessons learned from the pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Macrophages, being the cornerstone of the immune system, have adapted the ancient nutrient acquisition mechanism of phagocytosis to engulf various infectious organisms thereby helping to orchestrate an appropriate host response. Phagocytosis refers to the process of internalization and degradation of particulate material, damaged and senescent cells and microorganisms by specialized cells, after which the vesicle containing the ingested particle, the phagosome, matures into acidic phagolysosomes upon fusion with hydrolytic enzyme-containing lysosomes. The destructive power of the macrophage is further exacerbated through the induction of macrophage activation upon a variety of inflammatory stimuli. Despite being the end-point for many phagocytosed microbes, the macrophage can also serve as an intracellular survival niche for a number of intracellular microorganisms. One microbe that is particularly successful at surviving within macrophages is the pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which can efficiently manipulate the macrophage at several levels, including modulation of the phagocytic pathway as well as interfering with a number of immune activation pathways that normally would lead to eradication of the internalized bacilli. M. tuberculosis excels at circumventing destruction within macrophages, thus establishing itself successfully for prolonged times within the macrophage. In this contribution, we describe a number of general features of macrophages in the context of their function to clear an infection, and highlight the strategies employed by M. tuberculosis to counter macrophage attack. Interestingly, research on the evasion tactics employed by M. tuberculosis within macrophages not only helps to design strategies to curb tuberculosis, but also allows a better understanding of host cell biology.

Duration of Heat Stress Effect on Invasiveness of L. monocytogenes Strains

During food production and food conservation, as well as the passage through the human gastrointestinal (GI) tract, L. monocytogenes is exposed to many adverse conditions which may elicit a stress response. As a result the pathogen may become more resistant to other unpropitious factors and may change its virulence. It has been shown that low and high temperature, salt, low pH, and high pressure affect the invasion capacity of L. monocytogenes. However, there is a scarcity of data on the duration of the stress effect on bacterial biology, including invasiveness. The aim of this work was to determine the period during which L. monocytogenes invasiveness remains altered under optimal conditions following exposure of bacteria to mild heat shock stress. Ten L. monocytogenes strains were exposed to heat shock at 54°C for 20 minutes. Then both heat-treated and nontreated control bacteria were incubated under optimal growth conditions, 37°C, for up to 72 hours and the invasion capacity was tested. Additionally, the expression of virulence and stress response genes was investigated in 2 strains. We found that heat stress exposure significantly decreases the invasiveness of all tested strains. However, during incubation at 37°C the invasion capacity of heat-treated strains recovered to the level of nontreated controls. The observed effect was strain-dependent and lasted from less than 24 hours to 72 hours. The invasiveness of 6 out of the 10 nontreated strains decreased during incubation at 37°C. The expression of inlAB correlated with the increase of invasiveness but the decrease of invasiveness did not correlate with changes of the level of these transcripts. Conclusions. The effect of heat stress on L. monocytogenes invasiveness is strain-dependent and was transient, lasting up to 72 hours.

Listeria monocytogenes Infection of the Brain

Listeria monocytogenes is an intracellular bacterial pathogen that is frequently associated with food-borne infection. The ability of L. monocytogenes to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is concerning as it can lead to life-threatening meningitis and encephalitis. The BBB protects the brain microenvironment from various toxic metabolites and microbial pathogens found in the blood following infection, and therefore supports brain homeostasis. The mechanisms by which L. monocytogenes present in the bloodstream cross the BBB to cause brain infections are not fully understood and there is also a lack of a robust model system to study brain infections by L. monocytogenes. Here, we present a simple mouse infection model to determine whether bacteria have crossed the BBB and to quantitate the burden of bacteria that have colonized the brain in vivo. In this method, animals were infected intravenously with L. monocytogenes and were humanely euthanized by exposure to CO2 followed by cervical dislocation. Cardiac perfusion of the animals was performed prior to harvesting infected organs. Blood was collected before perfusion and the number of bacteria per organ or mL of blood was determined by plating dilutions of the blood or organ homogenates on agar plates and counting the number of colonies formed. This method can be used to study novel receptor-ligand interactions that enhance infection of the brain by L. monocytogenes and can be easily adapted for the study of multiple bacterial pathogens.

Attenuation of Listeria monocytogenes Virulence by Cannabis sativa L. Essential Oil

Anti-virulence strategies are being explored as a novel approach to combat pathogens. Such strategies include inhibition of surface adhesion, tissue invasion, toxin production, and/or interference with the gene regulation of other virulence traits. Listeria monocytogenes, the causative agent of listeriosis, is a facultative intracellular food pathogen characterized by a wide distribution in the environment. Its ability to persist within biofilms and to develop resistance to sanitizers is the cause of significant problems in food processing plants and of steep costs for the food industry. In humans, the treatment of listeriosis is hampered by the intracellular location of listeriae and the poor intracellular penetration of some antibiotics. Eleven L. monocytogenes isolates from patients who were diagnosed with invasive listeriosis in Italy in 2014-2016 were studied. This in vitro and in vivo study explored the antibacterial and anti-virulence properties of a steam-distilled essential oil of Cannabis sativa L., which is being intensively investigated for its high content in powerful bioactive phytochemicals. Susceptibility experiments demonstrated a moderate bactericidal activity of the essential oil (Minimum Bactericidal Concentration > 2048 μg/mL). Assessment of the effects of sublethal concentrations of the essential oil on L. monocytogenes virulence traits demonstrated a significant action on motility. Listeriae were non-motile after exposure to the essential oil. Light and scanning electron microscopy documented aggregates of listeriae with the flagella trapped inside the cluster. Real-time RT-PCR experiments showed downregulation of flagellar motility genes and of the regulatory gene prfA. The ability to form biofilm and to invade Caco-2 cells was also significantly reduced. Galleria mellonella larvae infected with L. monocytogenes grown in presence of sublethal concentrations of the essential oil showed much higher survival rates compared with controls, suggesting that the extract inhibited tissue invasion. Food contamination with L. monocytogenes is a major concern for the food industry, particularly for plants making ready-to-eat and processed food. The present work provides a baseline in the study of the anti-virulence properties of the C. sativa essential oil against L. monocytogenes. Further studies are needed to understand if it could be used as an alternative agent for the control of L. monocytogenes in food processing plants.

Listeria monocytogenes as a Vector for Cancer Immunotherapy: Current Understanding and Progress

Listeria monocytogenes, a Gram-positive facultative anaerobic bacterium, is becoming a popular vector for cancer immunotherapy. Indeed, multiple vaccines have been developed utilizing modified Listeria as a tool for generating immune responses against a variety of cancers. Moreover, over a dozen clinical trials testing Listeria cancer vaccines are currently underway, which will help to understand the utility of Listeria vaccines in cancer immunotherapy. This review aims to summarize current views on how Listeria-based vaccines induce potent antitumor immunity and the current state of Listeria-based cancer vaccines in clinical trials.

Structural basis of VHH-mediated neutralization of the food-borne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes

Listeria monocytogenes causes listeriosis, a potentially fatal food-borne disease. The condition is especially harmful to pregnant women. Listeria outbreaks can originate from diverse foods, highlighting the need for novel strategies to improve food safety. The first step in Listeria invasion is internalization of the bacteria, which is mediated by the interaction of the internalin family of virulence factors with host cell receptors. A crucial interaction for Listeria invasion of the placenta, and thus a target for therapeutic intervention, is between internalin B (InlB) and the receptor c-Met. Single-domain antibodies (V_HH, also called nanobodies, or sdAbs) from camel heavy-chain antibodies are a novel solution for preventing Listeria infections. The V_HH R303, R330, and R326 all bind InlB with high affinity; however, the molecular mechanism behind their mode of action was unknown. We demonstrate that despite a high degree of sequence and structural diversity, the V_HH bind a single epitope on InlB. A combination of gentamicin protection assays and florescent microscopy establish that InlB-specific V_HH inhibit Listeria invasion of HeLa cells. A high-resolution X-ray structure of V_HH R303 in complex with InlB showed that the V_HH binds at the c-Met interaction site on InlB, thereby acting as a competitive inhibitor preventing bacterial invasion. These results point to the potential of V_HH as a novel class of therapeutics for the prevention of listeriosis.

Tunicamycin Mediated Inhibition of Wall Teichoic Acid Affects Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes Cell Morphology, Biofilm Formation and Virulence

The emergence of bacterial resistance to therapeutic antibiotics limits options for treatment of common microbial diseases. Subinhibitory antibiotics dosing, often aid in the emergence of resistance, but its impact on pathogen’s physiology and pathogenesis is not well understood. Here we investigated the effect of tunicamycin, a cell wall teichoic acid (WTA) biosynthesis inhibiting antibiotic at the subinhibitory dosage on Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes physiology, antibiotic cross-resistance, biofilm-formation, and virulence. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of tunicamycin to S. aureus and L. monocytogenes was 20–40 μg/ml and 2.5–5 μg/ml, respectively, and the subinhibitory concentration was 2.5–5 μg/ml and 0.31–0.62 μg/ml, respectively. Tunicamycin pre-exposure reduced cellular WTA levels by 18–20% and affected bacterial cell wall ultrastructure, cell membrane permeability, morphology, laser-induced colony scatter signature, and bacterial ability to form biofilms. It also induced a moderate level of cross-resistance to tetracycline, ampicillin, erythromycin, and meropenem for S. aureus, and ampicillin, erythromycin, vancomycin, and meropenem for L. monocytogenes. Pre-treatment of bacterial cells with subinhibitory concentrations of tunicamycin also significantly reduced bacterial adhesion to and invasion into an enterocyte-like Caco-2 cell line, which is supported by reduced expression of key virulence factors, Internalin B (InlB) and Listeria adhesion protein (LAP) in L. monocytogenes, and a S. aureus surface protein A (SasA) in S. aureus. Tunicamycin-treated bacteria or the bacterial WTA preparation suppressed NF-κB and inflammatory cytokine production (TNFα, and IL-6) from murine macrophage cell line (RAW 264.7) indicating the reduced WTA level possibly attenuates an inflammatory response. These results suggest that at the subinhibitory dosage, tunicamycin-mediated inhibition of WTA biosynthesis interferes with cell wall structure, pathogens infectivity and inflammatory response, and ability to form biofilms but promotes the development of antibiotic cross-resistance.

Interaction of microbial pathogens with host exocytic pathways

Many microbial pathogens co-opt or perturb host membrane trafficking pathways. This review covers recent examples in which microbes interact with host exocytosis, the fusion of intracellular vesicles with the plasma membrane. The bacterial pathogens Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus subvert recycling endosomal pathways of exocytosis in order to induce their entry into human cells. By contrast, entry of the protozoan pathogen Trypanosoma cruzi or the virus adenovirus into host cells involves exploitation of lysosomal exocytosis. Toxins produced by Bacillus anthracis or Vibrio cholerae interfere with exocytosis pathways mediated by the GTPase Rab11 and the exocyst complex. By doing so, anthrax or cholera toxins impair recycling of cadherins to cell-cell junctions and disrupt the barrier properties of endothelial cells or intestinal epithelial cells, respectively. Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) is expelled from bladder epithelial cells through two different exocytic routes that involve sensing of bacteria in vacuoles by host Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) or monitoring of the pH of lysosomes harbouring UPEC. The TLR4 pathway is mediated by multiple Rab GTPases and the exocyst, whereas the other pathway involves exocytosis of lysosomes. Expulsion of UPEC through these pathways is thought to benefit the host.

Production of Bacteriophages by Listeria Cells Entrapped in Organic Polymers

Applications for bacteriophages as antimicrobial agents are increasing. The industrial use of these bacterial viruses requires the production of large amounts of suitable strictly lytic phages, particularly for food and agricultural applications. This work describes a new approach for phage production. Phages H387 (Siphoviridae) and A511 (Myoviridae) were propagated separately using Listeria ivanovii host cells immobilised in alginate beads. The same batch of alginate beads could be used for four successive and efficient phage productions. This technique enables the production of large volumes of high-titer phage lysates in continuous or semi-continuous (fed-batch) cultures.

Lactobacillus spp. impair the ability of Listeria monocytogenes FBUNT to adhere to and invade Caco-2 cells

OBJECTIVES

The objective of this study was to evaluate the ability of Lactobacillus curvatus CRL705, CRL1532, and CRL1533 and Lactobacillus sakei CRL1613 to survive under simulated gastrointestinal conditions. Moreover, a microencapsulation approach was proposed to improve gastrointestinal survival. Finally, experiments were performed to demonstrate that Lactobacillus spp. can modulate the ability of Listeria monocytogenes FBUNT to adhere to and invade Caco-2 cells.

RESULTS

Lactobacillus strains were encapsulated in alginate beads to enhance the survival of bacteria under in vitro gastrointestinal conditions. All strains hydrolyzed bile salts using chenodeoxycholic acid as a substrate and adhered to Caco-2 cells. Cell-free supernatants (CFSs) showed antimicrobial activity against L. monocytogenes as demonstrated by agar diffusion assays. The average percentages of L. monocytogenes adhesion decreased from 67.74 to 41.75 and 38.7% in the presence of 50 and 90% (v/v), respectively, for all CFSs tested. The highest concentrations of CFSs completely inhibited the L. monocytogenes invasion of Caco-2 cells.

CONCLUSIONS

The studied Lactobacillus strains have protective effects against the adhesion and invasion of L. monocytogenes FBUNT. Alginate encapsulation of these bacteria improved gastrointestinal tolerance such that they could be further studied as potential probiotics against intestinal pathogenic bacteria.

Autophagy and Its Interaction With Intracellular Bacterial Pathogens

Cellular responses to stress can be defined by the overwhelming number of changes that cells go through upon contact with and stressful conditions such as infection and modifications in nutritional status. One of the main cellular responses to stress is autophagy. Much progress has been made in the understanding of the mechanisms involved in the induction of autophagy during infection by intracellular bacteria. This review aims to discuss recent findings on the role of autophagy as a cellular response to intracellular bacterial pathogens such as, Streptococcus pyogenes, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Shigella flexneri, Salmonella typhimurium, Listeria monocytogenes, and Legionella pneumophila, how the autophagic machinery senses these bacteria directly or indirectly (through the detection of bacteria-induced nutritional stress), and how some of these bacterial pathogens manage to escape from autophagy.

To Be Cytosolic or Vacuolar: The Double Life of Listeria monocytogenes

Intracellular bacterial pathogens are generally classified into two types: those that exploit host membrane trafficking to construct specific niches in vacuoles (i.e., "vacuolar pathogens"), and those that escape from vacuoles into the cytosol, where they proliferate and often spread to neighboring cells (i.e., "cytosolic pathogens"). However, the boundary between these distinct intracellular phenotypes is tenuous and may depend on the timing of infection and on the host cell type. Here, we discuss recent progress highlighting this phenotypic duality in Listeria monocytogenes, which has long been a model for cytosolic pathogens, but now emerges as a bacterium also capable of residing in vacuoles, in a slow/non-growing state. The ability of L. monocytogenes to enter a persistence stage in vacuoles might play a role during the asymptomatic incubation period of listeriosis and/or the carriage of this pathogen in asymptomatic hosts. Moreover, persistent vacuolar Listeria could be less susceptible to antibiotics and more difficult to detect by routine techniques of clinical biology. These hypotheses deserve to be explored in order to better manage the risks related to this food-borne pathogen.

Dual-species biofilm of Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli on stainless steel surface

Listeria monocytogenes is a Gram-positive bacterium commonly associated with foodborne diseases. Due its ability to survive under adverse environmental conditions and to form biofilm, this bacterium is a major concern for the food industry, since it can compromise sanitation procedures and increase the risk of post-processing contamination. Little is known about the interaction between L. monocytogenes and Gram-negative bacteria on biofilm formation. Thus, in order to evaluate this interaction, Escherichia coli and L. monocytogenes were tested for their ability to form biofilms together or in monoculture. We also aimed to evaluate the ability of L. monocytogenes 1/2a and its isogenic mutant strain (ΔprfA ΔsigB) to form biofilm in the presence of E. coli. We assessed the importance of the virulence regulators, PrfA and σ^B, in this process since they are involved in many aspects of L. monocytogenes pathogenicity. Biofilm formation was assessed using stainless steel AISI 304 #4 slides immersed into brain heart infusion broth, reconstituted powder milk and E. coli preconditioned medium at 25 °C. Our results indicated that a higher amount of biofilm was formed by the wild type strain of L. monocytogenes than by its isogenic mutant, indicating that prfA and sigB are important for biofilm development, especially maturation under our experimental conditions. The presence of E. coli or its metabolites in preconditioned medium did not influence biofilm formation by L. monocytogenes. Our results confirm the possibility of concomitant biofilm formation by L. monocytogenes and E. coli, two bacteria of major significance in the food industry.

Listeria Adhesion Protein Induces Intestinal Epithelial Barrier Dysfunction for Bacterial Translocation

Intestinal epithelial cells are the first line of defense against enteric pathogens, yet bacterial pathogens, such as Listeria monocytogenes, can breach this barrier. We show that Listeria adhesion protein (LAP) induces intestinal epithelial barrier dysfunction to promote bacterial translocation. These disruptions are attributed to the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-6, which is observed in mice challenged with WT and isogenic strains lacking the surface invasion protein Internalin A (ΔinlA), but not a lap^- mutant. Additionally, upon engagement of its surface receptor Hsp60, LAP activates canonical NF-κB signaling, facilitating myosin light-chain kinase (MLCK)-mediated opening of the epithelial barrier via cellular redistribution of the epithelial junctional proteins claudin-1, occludin, and E-cadherin. Pharmacological inhibition of MLCK or NF-κB in cells or genetic ablation of MLCK in mice prevents mislocalization of junctional proteins and L. monocytogenes translocation. Thus, L. monocytogenes uses LAP to exploit epithelial defenses and cross the intestinal epithelial barrier.