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Liu TP, Lin LC, Chang SC, Ou YH, Lu JJ. Molecular Characteristics and Virulence Profile of Clinical Listeria monocytogenes Isolates in Northern Taiwan, 2009-2019. Foodborne Pathog Dis 2024; 21:386-394. [PMID: 38346310 DOI: 10.1089/fpd.2023.0136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Listeria monocytogenes is a critical foodborne pathogen that causes severe invasive and noninvasive diseases and is associated with high mortality. Information on the prevalence of L. monocytogenes infections in Taiwan is very limited. This study aimed to analyze the molecular epidemiological surveillance and virulence gene distribution of 176 human clinical L. monocytogenes isolates collected between 2009 and 2019 in northern Taiwan. Our results showed that the isolates belonged to 4 serogroups (IIa, IIb, IVb, and IIc), with most isolates in serogroups IIa (81/176, 46%) and IIb (71/176, 40.3%). Multilocus sequence typing analysis revealed 18 sequence types (STs) and 13 clonal complexes (CCs). Eighty-four percent of all isolates belonged to six STs: CC87-ST87 (40/176, 22.7%), CC19-ST378 (36/176, 19.9%), CC155-ST155 (28/176, 15.5%), CC1-ST710 (16/176, 8.8%), CC5-ST5 (16/176, 8.8%), and CC101-ST101 (11/176, 6.1%). Furthermore, our analysis showed the distributions of four Listeria pathogenicity islands (LIPI) among all isolates. LIPI-1 and LIPI-2 existed in all isolates, whereas LIPI-3 and LIPI-4 only existed in specific STs and CCs. LIPI-3 existed in the STs, CC1-ST710, CC3-ST3, CC288-ST295, and CC191-ST1458, whereas LIPI-4 could be found in the STs, CC87-ST87 and CC87-ST1459. Strains containing LIPI-3 and LIPI-4 are potentially hypervirulent; thus, 68/176 isolates (39.1%) collected in this study were potentially hypervirulent. Since L. monocytogenes infections are considered highly correlated with diet, molecular epidemiological surveillance of Listeria in food is important; continued surveillance will provide critical information to prevent foodborne diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tsui-Ping Liu
- Infectious Control Office, Tao-Yuan General Hospital, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Tao-Yuan General Hospital, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Lee-Chung Lin
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Shih-Cheng Chang
- Department of Medical Laboratory, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Hsiang Ou
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Jang-Jih Lu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taoyuan, Taiwan
- Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
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Lagarde J, Feurer C, Denis M, Douarre PE, Piveteau P, Roussel S. Listeria monocytogenes prevalence and genomic diversity along the pig and pork production chain. Food Microbiol 2024; 119:104430. [PMID: 38225039 DOI: 10.1016/j.fm.2023.104430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2023] [Revised: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/17/2024]
Abstract
The facultative intracellular bacterium Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes) is the causative agent of listeriosis, a severe invasive illness. This ubiquitous species is widely distributed in the environment, but infection occurs almost exclusively through ingestion of contaminated food. The pork production sector has been heavily affected by a series of L. monocytogenes-related foodborne outbreaks in the past around the world. Ready-to-eat (RTE) pork products represent one of the main food sources for strong-evidence listeriosis outbreaks. This pathogen is known to be present throughout the entire pig and pork production chain. Some studies hypothesized that the main source of contamination in final pork products was either living pigs or the food-processing environment. A detailed genomic picture of L. monocytogenes can provide a renewed understanding of the routes of contamination from pig farms to the final products. This review provides an overview of the prevalence, the genomic diversity and the genetic background linked to virulence of L. monocytogenes along the entire pig and pork production chain, from farm to fork.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean Lagarde
- ANSES, Salmonella and Listeria Unit (USEL), University of Paris-Est, Maisons-Alfort Laboratory for Food Safety, 14 rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 94700, Maisons-Alfort, France; INRAE, Unit of Process Optimisation in Food, Agriculture and the Environment (UR OPAALE), 17 avenue de Cucillé, 35000, Rennes, France
| | - Carole Feurer
- IFIP, The French Pig and Pork Institute, Department of Fresh and Processed Meat, La Motte au Vicomte, 35650, Le Rheu, France
| | - Martine Denis
- ANSES, Unit of Hygiene and Quality of Poultry and Pork Products (UHQPAP), Ploufragan-Plouzané-Niort Laboratory, 31 rue des fusillés, 22440, Ploufragan, France
| | - Pierre-Emmanuel Douarre
- ANSES, Salmonella and Listeria Unit (USEL), University of Paris-Est, Maisons-Alfort Laboratory for Food Safety, 14 rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 94700, Maisons-Alfort, France
| | - Pascal Piveteau
- INRAE, Unit of Process Optimisation in Food, Agriculture and the Environment (UR OPAALE), 17 avenue de Cucillé, 35000, Rennes, France
| | - Sophie Roussel
- ANSES, Salmonella and Listeria Unit (USEL), University of Paris-Est, Maisons-Alfort Laboratory for Food Safety, 14 rue Pierre et Marie Curie, 94700, Maisons-Alfort, France.
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Wiktorczyk-Kapischke N, Skowron K, Wałecka-Zacharska E. Genomic and pathogenicity islands of Listeria monocytogenes-overview of selected aspects. Front Mol Biosci 2023; 10:1161486. [PMID: 37388250 PMCID: PMC10300472 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2023.1161486] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 07/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Listeria monocytogenes causes listeriosis, a disease characterized by a high mortality rate (up to 30%). Since the pathogen is highly tolerant to changing conditions (high and low temperature, wide pH range, low availability of nutrients), it is widespread in the environment, e.g., water, soil, or food. L. monocytogenes possess a number of genes that determine its high virulence potential, i.e., genes involved in the intracellular cycle (e.g., prfA, hly, plcA, plcB, inlA, inlB), response to stress conditions (e.g., sigB, gadA, caspD, clpB, lmo1138), biofilm formation (e.g., agr, luxS), or resistance to disinfectants (e.g., emrELm, bcrABC, mdrL). Some genes are organized into genomic and pathogenicity islands. The islands LIPI-1 and LIPI-3 contain genes related to the infectious life cycle and survival in the food processing environment, while LGI-1 and LGI-2 potentially ensure survival and durability in the production environment. Researchers constantly have been searching for new genes determining the virulence of L. monocytogenes. Understanding the virulence potential of L. monocytogenes is an important element of public health protection, as highly pathogenic strains may be associated with outbreaks and the severity of listeriosis. This review summarizes the selected aspects of L. monocytogenes genomic and pathogenicity islands, and the importance of whole genome sequencing for epidemiological purposes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia Wiktorczyk-Kapischke
- Department of Microbiology, Ludwik Rydygier Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Toruń, Poland
| | - Krzysztof Skowron
- Department of Microbiology, Ludwik Rydygier Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Toruń, Poland
| | - Ewa Wałecka-Zacharska
- Department of Food Hygiene and Consumer Health, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Wrocław, Poland
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Varsaki A, Ortiz S, Santorum P, López P, López-Alonso V, Hernández M, Abad D, Rodríguez-Grande J, Ocampo-Sosa AA, Martínez-Suárez JV. Prevalence and Population Diversity of Listeria monocytogenes Isolated from Dairy Cattle Farms in the Cantabria Region of Spain. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12182477. [PMID: 36139336 PMCID: PMC9495194 DOI: 10.3390/ani12182477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Revised: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary The origin and prevalence of Listeria monocytogenes was studied in dairy cattle farms in order to examine its diversity and determine its possible persistence in manure. The utilization of manure for agricultural purposes is common in many countries. While properly treated and managed manure is an effective and safe fertilizer, foodborne illness outbreaks can occur, as many of the most prominent foodborne pathogens are carried by healthy livestock. It is, therefore, necessary to study the origin and persistence of zoonotic agents in general and of L. monocytogenes in particular, in order to avoid recirculation in farms and reduce risk for human populations. Abstract Listeria monocytogenes is an opportunistic pathogen that is widely distributed in the environment. Here we show the prevalence and transmission of L. monocytogenes in dairy farms in the Cantabria region, on the northern coast of Spain. A total of 424 samples was collected from 14 dairy farms (5 organic and 9 conventional) and 211 L. monocytogenes isolates were recovered following conventional microbiological methods. There were no statistically significant differences in antimicrobial resistance ratios between organic and conventional farms. A clonal relationship among the isolates was assessed by pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) analysis and 64 different pulsotypes were obtained. Most isolates (89%, n = 187) were classified as PCR serogroup IVb by using a multiplex PCR assay. In this case, 45 isolates of PCR serogroup IVb were whole genome-sequenced to perform a further analysis at genomic level. In silico MLST analysis showed the presence of 12 sequence types (ST), of which ST1, ST54 and ST666 were the most common. Our data indicate that the environment of cattle farms retains a high incidence of L. monocytogenes, including subtypes involved in human listeriosis reports and outbreaks. This pathogen is shed in the feces and could easily colonize dairy products, as a result of fecal contamination. Effective herd and manure management are needed in order to prevent possible outbreaks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Athanasia Varsaki
- Centro de Investigación y Formación Agrarias (CIFA), 39600 Muriedas, Spain
- Correspondence: (A.V.); (J.V.M.-S.)
| | - Sagrario Ortiz
- National Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology (INIA)-Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Patricia Santorum
- Centro de Investigación y Formación Agrarias (CIFA), 39600 Muriedas, Spain
| | - Pilar López
- National Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology (INIA)-Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Marta Hernández
- Instituto Tecnológico Agrario de Castilla y León (ITACyL), 47071 Valladolid, Spain
| | - David Abad
- Instituto Tecnológico Agrario de Castilla y León (ITACyL), 47071 Valladolid, Spain
| | - Jorge Rodríguez-Grande
- Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla, Instituto de Investigación Valdecilla (IDIVAL), 39008 Santander, Spain
| | - Alain A. Ocampo-Sosa
- Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla, Instituto de Investigación Valdecilla (IDIVAL), 39008 Santander, Spain
| | - Joaquín V. Martínez-Suárez
- National Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology (INIA)-Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), 28040 Madrid, Spain
- Correspondence: (A.V.); (J.V.M.-S.)
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Genetic diversity, virulence factors, and antimicrobial resistance of Listeria monocytogenes from food, livestock, and clinical samples between 2002 and 2019 in China. Int J Food Microbiol 2022; 366:109572. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2022.109572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2021] [Revised: 02/02/2022] [Accepted: 02/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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The Effect of Incubation Temperature, Substrate and Initial pH Value on Plantaricin Activity and the Relative Transcription of pln Genes of Six Sourdough Derived Lactiplantibacillus plantarum Strains. FERMENTATION 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/fermentation7040320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of sourdough related parameters on the growth and plantaricin activity of six Lactiplantibacillus plantarum strains against a mixture of 5 Listeria monocytogenes strains and to analyze the transcriptomic response of their pln genes. Parameters included 3 substrates (MRS broth, mMRS broth, WFE), 3 temperatures (20, 30, 37 °C), 2 initial pH values (5.0, 6.0), 2 NaCl concentrations (0.0, 1.8%) and 12 time points (ranging from 0 to 33 h). The transcriptomic response of the plantaricin genes to the aforementioned parameters was assessed after 21 h of growth. In general, plantaricin activity was strain dependent with that of Lp. plantarum strains LQC 2422, 2441, 2485 and 2516, harboring four pln genes, namely, pln423 (plαA), plαΒ, plαC and plαD, reaching 2560 AU/mL. However, strains LQC 2320 and 2520, in which 18 pln genes were detected, namely, plNC8a, plNC8b, plNC8c, plnL, plnR, plnJ, plnK, plnE, plnF, plnH, plnS, plnY, plNC8-IF, plNC8-HK, plnD, plnI, plnM and plnG, exhibited plantaricin activity barely reaching 160 AU/mL. Substrate, temperature, initial pH value and strains significantly affected plantaricin activity, while NaCl had only a marginal effect. Similarly, growth substrate and temperature had a more pronounced effect than initial pH value on gene transcription. A strong correlation between the transcription of the genes belonging to the same locus was observed; however, only a weak correlation, if any, was observed between plantaricin activity and the transcription of the genes assessed.
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Whole-Genome Sequencing-Based Characterization of a Listeria monocytogenes Strain from an Aborted Water Buffalo in Southern Italy. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9091875. [PMID: 34576769 PMCID: PMC8469865 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9091875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2021] [Revised: 08/30/2021] [Accepted: 09/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Listeria monocytogenes is a Gram-positive pathogen causing life-threatening infections both in humans and animals. In livestock farms, it can persist for a long time and primarily causes uterine infections and encephalitis in farmed animals. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) is currently becoming the best method for molecular typing of this pathogen due to its high discriminatory power and efficiency of characterization. This study describes the WGS-based characterization of an L. monocytogenes strain from an aborted water buffalo fetus in southern Italy. The strain under study was classified as molecular serogroup IVb, phylogenetic lineage I, MLST sequence type 6, Clonal Complex 6, and cgMLST type CT3331, sublineage 6. Molecular analysis indicated the presence of 61 virulence genes and 4 antibiotic resistance genes. Phylogenetic analysis, including all the publicly available European L. monocytogenes serogroup IVb isolates, indicated that our strain clusterized with all the other CC6 strains and that different CCs were variably distributed within countries and isolation sources. This study contributes to the current understanding of the genetic diversity of L. monocytogenes from animal sources and highlights how the WGS strategy can provide insights into the pathogenic potential of this microorganism, acting as an important tool for epidemiological studies.
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Abstract
The aim of the present study was to assess the transcriptomic response of L. monocytogenes during co-culture with three S. cerevisiae strains. For this purpose, BHI broth was inoculated with 7 log CFU·mL−1 L. monocytogenes serotype 4b strain LQC 15257, isolated from a strawberry sample and 4 log CFU·mL−1 S. cerevisiae strains Y32, Y34 and Y37, isolated from spontaneous olive fermentation. Sampling took place after 24 and 48 h incubation at 5 and 20 °C. RNA was extracted, stabilized and the transcription of virulence associated genes prfA, sigB, hly, plcA, plcB, inlA, inlB, inlC and inlJ, was assessed by RT-qPCR. Co-culture with the yeast strains mostly affected the transcription of sigB and inlJ, the upregulation of which during growth at 5 °C for 24 h, reached 10.13 and 9.76 log2(fold change), respectively. Similarly, the effect that incubation time had on the relative transcription of the genes under study was dependent on the co-cultivating yeast strain. On the other hand, the effect of the yeast strain was less pronounced when the relative transcription of the genes under study was assessed between 20 °C and 5 °C. In that case, incubation temperature seemed to have an important effect since, in the 79.2% of the samples analyzed, upregulation was evident, irrespective of yeast strain presence. These results highlight the complex trophic relationships that take place during co-existence between L. monocytogenes and S. cerevisiae.
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Cui H, Li H, Abdel-Samie MA, Surendhiran D, Lin L. Anti-Listeria monocytogenes biofilm mechanism of cold nitrogen plasma. INNOV FOOD SCI EMERG 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ifset.2020.102571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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10
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Paduro C, Montero DA, Chamorro N, Carreño LJ, Vidal M, Vidal R. Ten years of molecular epidemiology surveillance of Listeria monocytogenes in Chile 2008–2017. Food Microbiol 2020; 85:103280. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fm.2019.103280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2019] [Revised: 07/23/2019] [Accepted: 07/25/2019] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
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Ferwerda B, Maury MM, Brouwer MC, Hafner L, van der Ende A, Bentley S, Lecuit M, van de Beek D. Residual Variation Intolerance Score Detects Loci Under Selection in Neuroinvasive Listeria monocytogenes. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:2702. [PMID: 31849867 PMCID: PMC6901971 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.02702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2019] [Accepted: 11/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Listeria monocytogenes is a Gram-positive bacterium that can be found in a broad range of environments, including soil, food, animals, and humans. L. monocytogenes can cause a foodborne disease manifesting as sepsis and meningo-encephalitis. To evaluate signals of selection within the core genome of neuroinvasive L. monocytogenes strains, we sequenced 122 L. monocytogenes strains from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of Dutch meningitis patients and performed a genome-wide analysis using Tajima’s D and ω (dN/dS). We also evaluated the residual variation intolerance score (RVIS), a computationally less demanding methodology, to identify loci under selection. Results show that the large genetic distance between the listerial lineages influences the Tajima’s D and ω (dN/dS) outcome. Within genetic lineages we detected signals of selection in 6 of 2327 loci (<1%), which were replicated in an external cohort of 105 listerial CSF isolates from France. Functions of identified loci under selection were within metabolism pathways (lmo2476, encoding aldose 1-epimerase), putative antimicrobial resistance mechanisms (lmo1855, encoding PBPD3), and virulence factors (lmo0549, internalin-like protein; lmo1482, encoding comEC). RVIS over the two genetic lineages showed signals of selection in internalin-like proteins loci potentially involved in pathogen-host interaction (lmo0549, lmo0610, and lmo1290). Our results show that RVIS can be used to detect bacterial loci under selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bart Ferwerda
- Department of Neurology, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Mylène M Maury
- Institut Pasteur, Biology of Infection Unit, Inserm U1117 and National Reference Centre - WHO Collaborating Centre for Listeria, Paris, France
| | - Mathijs C Brouwer
- Department of Neurology, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Lukas Hafner
- Institut Pasteur, Biology of Infection Unit, Inserm U1117 and National Reference Centre - WHO Collaborating Centre for Listeria, Paris, France
| | - Arie van der Ende
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Amsterdam Infection and Immunity, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands.,Netherlands Reference Laboratory for Bacterial Meningitis, Amsterdam UMC/RIVM, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Stephen Bentley
- Parasites and Microbes, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Marc Lecuit
- Institut Pasteur, Biology of Infection Unit, Inserm U1117 and National Reference Centre - WHO Collaborating Centre for Listeria, Paris, France.,Paris Descartes University, Division of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine, Necker-Enfants Malades University Hospital, Paris, France
| | - Diederik van de Beek
- Department of Neurology, Amsterdam Neuroscience, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
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Tamburro M, Sammarco ML, Fanelli I, Ripabelli G. Characterization of Listeria monocytogenes serovar 1/2a, 1/2b, 1/2c and 4b by high resolution melting analysis for epidemiological investigations. Int J Food Microbiol 2019; 310:108289. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2019.108289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2018] [Revised: 05/24/2019] [Accepted: 08/04/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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Zhang Y, Dong S, Chen H, Chen J, Zhang J, Zhang Z, Yang Y, Xu Z, Zhan L, Mei L. Prevalence, Genotypic Characteristics and Antibiotic Resistance of Listeria monocytogenes From Retail Foods in Bulk in Zhejiang Province, China. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:1710. [PMID: 31402906 PMCID: PMC6672743 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.01710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2018] [Accepted: 07/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Listeria monocytogenes is an important foodborne pathogen causing public concern. A total of 3354 retail foods in bulk were sampled and screened for L. monocytogenes. Seventy-three (2.2%) samples including 21 ready-to-eat (RTE) foods and 52 raw foods were confirmed positive for L. monocytogenes. Sushi and salmon sashimi occupied the top two slots in RTE foods with relatively high presence rate of 12.9 and 6.9%, respectively. Meanwhile, L. monocytogenes was found to be distributed unequally in raw foods; the presence rates in raw meat (3.5%) and poultry (3.8%) were significantly higher than that in raw seafood (1.3%). Notably, L. monocytogenes was not detected in raw freshwater food. The L. monocytogenes isolates belonged to four serotypes, 1/2a, 1/2b, 1/2c, and 4b, with the most prevalent serotype being 1/2a (47.9%). Eighteen sequence types (STs) and eighteen virulence types (VTs) containing four newly assigned VTs (VT180, VT181, VT182, and VT183) were determined via multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and multi-virulence-locus sequence typing (MVLST). Among the 73 L. monocytogenes isolates, 23 (31.5%) belonged to epidemic clones (ECs) including ECI, ECIV, ECV, ECVI, ECVIII and ECXI among which ECV was predominant. Antibiotic susceptibility tests revealed a high resistance rate (11.0%) to tetracycline. Moreover, we identified the distribution patterns of virulence genes of four Listeria pathogenicity islands (LIPI) in L. monocytogenes isolates. prfA, hly, plcA, plcB, mpl, actA genes in LIPI-1 and inlA, inlB, inlC, inlJ genes in LIPI-2 were detected in approximately all L. monocytogenes isolates. The distribution of both LIPI-3 genes and LIPI-4 genes exhibited association with lineage and ST. LIPI-4 genes were present exclusively in ST87 isolates. Relatedness analysis revealed the absence of distinct association between STs, ECs, LIPI-3 and LIPI-4 distribution and specific food groups. This study provided fundamental data for Chinese food safety authorities to grasp the contamination status of L. monocytogenes in foods, assess the potential risk of this pathogen and further address the safety issue of retail foods in bulk in China.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunyi Zhang
- Department of Microbiology, Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, China
| | - Shilei Dong
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Zhejiang Hospital, Hangzhou, China
| | - Honghu Chen
- Department of Microbiology, Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jiancai Chen
- Department of Microbiology, Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, China
| | - Junyan Zhang
- Department of Microbiology, Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zhen Zhang
- Department of Microbiology, Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, China
| | - Yong Yang
- Department of Microbiology, Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, China
| | - Ziyan Xu
- Department of Biotechnology, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Li Zhan
- Department of Microbiology, Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, China
| | - Lingling Mei
- Department of Microbiology, Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, China
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