Oral infection with signature-tagged Listeria monocytogenes reveals organ-specific growth and dissemination routes in guinea pigs

RECON gene disruption enhances host resistance to enable genome-wide evaluation of intracellular pathogen fitness during infection

Transposon sequencing (Tn-seq) is a powerful genome-wide technique to assess bacterial fitness under varying growth conditions. However, screening via Tn-seq in vivo is challenging. Dose limitations and host restrictions create bottlenecks that diminish the transposon mutant pool being screened. Here, we have developed a murine model with a disruption in Akr1c13 that renders the resulting RECON-/- mouse resistant to high-dose infection. We leveraged this model to perform a Tn-seq screen of the human pathogen Listeria monocytogenes in vivo. We identified 135 genes which were required for L. monocytogenes growth in mice including novel genes not previously identified for host survival. We identified organ-specific requirements for L. monocytogenes survival and investigated the role of the folate enzyme FolD in L. monocytogenes liver pathogenesis. A mutant lacking folD was impaired for growth in murine livers by 2.5-log10 compared to wild type and failed to spread cell-to-cell in fibroblasts. In contrast, a mutant in alsR, which encodes a transcription factor that represses an operon involved in D-allose catabolism, was attenuated in both livers and spleens of mice by 4-log10 and 3-log10, respectively, but showed modest phenotypes in in vitro models. We confirmed that dysregulation of the D-allose catabolism operon is responsible for the in vivo growth defect, as deletion of the operon in the ∆alsR background rescued virulence. By undertaking an unbiased, genome-wide screen in mice, we have identified novel fitness determinants for L. monocytogenes host infection, which highlights the utility of the RECON-/- mouse model for future screening efforts.

IMPORTANCE

Listeria monocytogenes is the gram-positive bacterium responsible for the food-borne disease listeriosis. Although infections with L. monocytogenes are limiting in healthy hosts, vulnerable populations, including pregnant and elderly people, can experience high rates of mortality. Thus, understanding the breadth of genetic requirements for L. monocytogenes in vivo survival will present new opportunities for treatment and prevention of listeriosis. We developed a murine model of infection using a RECON-/- mouse that is restrictive to systemic L. monocytogenes infection. We utilized this model to screen for L. monocytogenes genes required in vivo via transposon sequencing. We identified the liver-specific gene folD and a repressor, alsR, that only exhibits an in vivo growth defect. AlsR controls the expression of the D-allose operon which is a marker in diagnostic techniques to identify pathogenic Listeria. A better understanding of the role of the D-allose operon in human disease may further inform diagnostic and prevention measures.

How colonization bottlenecks, tissue niches, and transmission strategies shape protozoan infections

Protozoan pathogens such as Plasmodium spp., Leishmania spp., Toxoplasma gondii, and Trypanosoma spp. are often associated with high-mortality, acute and chronic diseases of global health concern. For transmission and immune evasion, protozoans have evolved diverse strategies to interact with a range of host tissue environments. These interactions are linked to disease pathology, yet our understanding of the association between parasite colonization and host homeostatic disruption is limited. Recently developed techniques for cellular barcoding have the potential to uncover the biology regulating parasite transmission, dissemination, and the stability of infection. Understanding bottlenecks to infection and the in vivo tissue niches that facilitate chronic infection and spread has the potential to reveal new aspects of parasite biology.

Apolipoprotein E genotype affects innate susceptibility to Listeria monocytogenes infection in aged male mice

Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) is a lipid transport protein that is hypothesized to suppress proinflammatory cytokine production, particularly after stimulation with Toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Studies using transgenic ApoE human replacement mice (APOE) expressing one of three different allelic variants suggest that there is a hierarchy in terms of responsiveness to proinflammatory stimuli such as APOE4/E4 > APOE3/E3 > APOE2/E2. In this study, we test the hypothesis that APOE genotype can also predict susceptibility to infection with the facultative intracellular gram-positive bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. We found that bone-marrow-derived macrophages isolated from aged APOE4/E4 mice expressed elevated levels of nitric oxide synthase 2 and were highly resistant to in vitro infection with L. monocytogenes compared to APOE3/E3 and APOE2/E2 mice. However, we did not find statistically significant differences in cytokine or chemokine output from either macrophages or whole splenocytes isolated from APOE2/E2, APOE3/E3, or APOE4/E4 mice following L. monocytogenes infection. In vivo, overall susceptibility to foodborne listeriosis also did not differ by APOE genotype in either young (2 mo old) or aged (15 mo old) C57BL/6 mice. However, we observed a sex-dependent susceptibility to infection in aged APOE2/E2 male mice and a sex-dependent resistance to infection in aged APOE4/E4 male mice that was not present in female mice. Thus, these results suggest that APOE genotype does not play an important role in innate resistance to infection with L. monocytogenes but may be linked to sex-dependent changes that occur during immune senescence.

Genomic and pathogenicity islands of Listeria monocytogenes-overview of selected aspects

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.

A genome-wide screen in macrophages identifies PTEN as required for myeloid restriction of Listeria monocytogenes infection

Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) is an intracellular foodborne pathogen which causes the severe disease listeriosis in immunocompromised individuals. Macrophages play a dual role during Lm infection by both promoting dissemination of Lm from the gastrointestinal tract and limiting bacterial growth upon immune activation. Despite the relevance of macrophages to Lm infection, the mechanisms underlying phagocytosis of Lm by macrophages are not well understood. To identify host factors important for Lm infection of macrophages, we performed an unbiased CRISPR/Cas9 screen which revealed pathways that are specific to phagocytosis of Lm and those that are required for internalization of bacteria generally. Specifically, we discovered the tumor suppressor PTEN promotes macrophage phagocytosis of Lm and L. ivanovii, but not other Gram-positive bacteria. Additionally, we found that PTEN enhances phagocytosis of Lm via its lipid phosphatase activity by promoting adherence to macrophages. Using conditional knockout mice lacking Pten in myeloid cells, we show that PTEN-dependent phagocytosis is important for host protection during oral Lm infection. Overall, this study provides a comprehensive identification of macrophage factors involved in regulating Lm uptake and characterizes the function of one factor, PTEN, during Lm infection in vitro and in vivo. Importantly, these results demonstrate a role for opsonin-independent phagocytosis in Lm pathogenesis and suggest that macrophages play a primarily protective role during foodborne listeriosis.

Egress of Listeria monocytogenes from Mesenteric Lymph Nodes Depends on Intracellular Replication and Cell-to-Cell Spread

The mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN) function as a barrier to systemic spread for both commensal and pathogenic bacteria in the gut. Listeria monocytogenes, a facultative intracellular foodborne pathogen, readily overcomes this barrier and spreads into the bloodstream, causing life-threatening systemic infections. We show here that intracellular replication protected L. monocytogenes from clearance by monocytes and neutrophils and promoted colonization of the small intestine-draining MLN (sMLN) but was not required for dissemination to the colon-draining MLN (cMLN). Intestinal tissue had enough free lipoate to support LplA2-dependent extracellular growth of L. monocytogenes, but exogenous lipoate in the MLN was severely limited, and so the bacteria could replicate only inside cells, where they used LplA1 to scavenge lipoate from host peptides. When foodborne infection was manipulated to allow ΔlplA1 L. monocytogenes to colonize the MLN to the same extent as wild-type bacteria, the mutant was still never recovered in the spleen or liver of any animal. We found that intracellular replication in the MLN promoted actin-based motility and cell-to-cell spread of L. monocytogenes and that rapid efficient exit from the MLN was actA dependent. We conclude that intracellular replication of L. monocytogenes in intestinal tissues is not essential and serves primarily to amplify bacterial burdens above a critical threshold needed to efficiently colonize the cMLN. In contrast, intracellular replication in the MLN is absolutely required for further systemic spread and serves primarily to promote ActA-mediated cell-to-cell spread.

Barcoded Consortium Infections: A Scalable, Internally Controlled Method to Study Host Cell Binding and Invasion by Pathogenic Bacteria

Bacterial host cell invasion has routinely been investigated by gentamicin protection assays, which are laborsome and suffer from pronounced experimental noise. This chapter describes an internally controlled, medium- to high-throughput method that resolves the capacity of multiple Salmonella virulence factor mutant strains to bind and invade host cells. The method, widely applicable to also other pathogens, is based on the combination of consortia of genetically tagged isogenic bacterial strains and a modified gentamicin protection assay. These protocols provide a flexible tool box to stringently quantify host cell binding and invasive properties of different mutants. Moreover, the method can be applied to both infections of cultured host cells and in vivo animal models, providing a comparable genetic readout, which greatly facilitates comparisons across experimental models.

Pathological study and molecular detection of zoonotic diseases in small ruminants at slaughter houses in Mymensingh, Bangladesh

Background and Aim:

Slaughterhouses act as a significant public health hotspot in developing countries like Bangladesh. The study aimed to investigate small ruminants at slaughterhouses for pathological study and molecular detection of important zoonotic diseases.

Materials and Methods:

A total of 75 goats and 14 sheep were investigated from June 2019 to January 2020 at different slaughterhouses in Mymensingh division, Bangladesh. The targeted diseases were tuberculosis (TB), listeriosis, Q fever, brucellosis, anthrax, toxoplasmosis, hydatidosis, and linguatulosis. The tentative diagnosis was made based on gross and histopathological lesions. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed to confirm the causal agents of zoonotic diseases using disease-specific primers.

Results:

Grossly, caseous nodule formation in the visceral organs; enlarged and calcifications of mesenteric lymph nodes (MLNs); hydatid cyst formation in the liver were the predominant lesions observed. Histopathologically, granuloma, caseous necrosis, and calcifications admixed with acid-fast bacteria in the MLNs, liver, spleen, and kidney were seen as suggestive of infectivity due to TB. Septic lymphadenitis mixed with rod-shaped bacteria, doughnut granuloma, fibroplasia accompanied by eosinophils and lymphocytic infiltration in MLNs, and portal granuloma were observed in listeriosis, Q fever, linguatulosis, and toxoplasmosis suspected cases, respectively. The PCR amplified Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (372 bp), Mycobacterium bovis (600 bp), Listeria monocytogenes (517 bp), Toxoplasma gondii (512 bp), and Coxiella burnetii (687 bp) species-specific amplicons. In addition, linguatulosis and hydatidosis were identified in six and three goats, respectively. Brucellosis and anthrax were not detected in any cases. The slaughterhouse samples were also found to harbor the coexistence of different zoonotic pathogens.

Conclusion:

Deadly infectious zoonotic diseases in goats and sheep at slaughterhouses may cause widespread public health risks. As a result, more intensive monitoring and epidemiological surveys are required to successfully prevent and control zoonotic diseases.

Putative Phenotypically Neutral Genomic Insertion Points in Prokaryotes

The barriers to effective genome editing in diverse prokaryotic organisms have been falling at an accelerated rate. As editing becomes easier in more organisms, quickly identifying genomic locations to insert new genetic functions without disrupting organism fitness becomes increasingly useful. When the insertion is noncoding DNA for applications such as information storage or barcoding, a neutral insertion point can be especially important. Here we describe an approach to identify putatively neutral insertion sites in prokaryotes. An algorithm (targetFinder) finds convergently transcribed genes with gap sizes within a specified range, and looks for annotations within the gaps. We report putative editing targets for 10 common synthetic biology chassis organisms, including coverage of available RNA-seq data, and provide software to apply to others. We further experimentally evaluate the neutrality of six identified targets in Escherichia coli through insertion of a DNA barcode. We anticipate this information and the accompanying tool will prove useful for synthetic biologists seeking neutral insertion points for genome editing.

Pathogenicity and virulence of Listeria monocytogenes: A trip from environmental to medical microbiology

Listeria monocytogenes is a saprophytic gram-positive bacterium, and an opportunistic foodborne pathogen that can produce listeriosis in humans and animals. It has evolved an exceptional ability to adapt to stress conditions encountered in different environments, resulting in a ubiquitous distribution. Because some food preservation methods and disinfection protocols in food-processing environments cannot efficiently prevent contaminations, L. monocytogenes constitutes a threat to human health and a challenge to food safety. In the host, Listeria colonizes the gastrointestinal tract, crosses the intestinal barrier, and disseminates through the blood to target organs. In immunocompromised individuals, the elderly, and pregnant women, the pathogen can cross the blood-brain and placental barriers, leading to neurolisteriosis and materno-fetal listeriosis. Molecular and cell biology studies of infection have proven L. monocytogenes to be a versatile pathogen that deploys unique strategies to invade different cell types, survive and move inside the eukaryotic host cell, and spread from cell to cell. Here, we present the multifaceted Listeria life cycle from a comprehensive perspective. We discuss genetic features of pathogenic Listeria species, analyze factors involved in food contamination, and review bacterial strategies to tolerate stresses encountered both during food processing and along the host's gastrointestinal tract. Then we dissect host-pathogen interactions underlying listerial pathogenesis in mammals from a cell biology and systemic point of view. Finally, we summarize the epidemiology, pathophysiology, and clinical features of listeriosis in humans and animals. This work aims to gather information from different fields crucial for a comprehensive understanding of the pathogenesis of L. monocytogenes.

Listeria monocytogenes faecal carriage is common and depends on the gut microbiota

Listeria genus comprises two pathogenic species, L. monocytogenes (Lm) and L. ivanovii, and non-pathogenic species. All can thrive as saprophytes, whereas only pathogenic species cause systemic infections. Identifying Listeria species' respective biotopes is critical to understand the ecological contribution of Listeria virulence. In order to investigate the prevalence and abundance of Listeria species in various sources, we retrieved and analyzed 16S rRNA datasets from MG-RAST metagenomic database. 26% of datasets contain Listeria sensu stricto sequences, and Lm is the most prevalent species, most abundant in soil and host-associated environments, including 5% of human stools. Lm is also detected in 10% of human stool samples from an independent cohort of 900 healthy asymptomatic donors. A specific microbiota signature is associated with Lm faecal carriage, both in humans and experimentally inoculated mice, in which it precedes Lm faecal carriage. These results indicate that Lm faecal carriage is common and depends on the gut microbiota, and suggest that Lm faecal carriage is a crucial yet overlooked consequence of its virulence.

Pulmonary insults exacerbate susceptibility to oral Listeria monocytogenes infection through the production of IL-10 by NK cells

Most individuals who consume foods contaminated with the bacterial pathogen Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) develop mild symptoms, while others are susceptible to life-threatening systemic infections (listeriosis). Although it is known that the risk of severe disease is increased in certain human populations, including the elderly, it remains unclear why others who consume contaminated food develop listeriosis. Here, we used a murine model to discover that pulmonary coinfections can impair the host's ability to adequately control and eradicate systemic Lm that cross from the intestines to the bloodstream. We found that the resistance of mice to oral Lm infection was dramatically reduced by coinfection with Streptococcus pneumoniae (Spn), a bacterium that colonizes the respiratory tract and can also cause severe infections in the elderly. Exposure to Spn or microbial products, including a recombinant Lm protein (L1S) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS), rendered otherwise resistant hosts susceptible to severe systemic Lm infection. In addition, we show that this increase in susceptibility was dependent on an increase in the production of interleukin-10 (IL-10) from Ncr1+ cells, including natural killer (NK) cells. Lastly, the ability of Ncr1+ cell derived IL-10 to increase disease susceptibility correlated with a dampening of both myeloid cell accumulation and myeloid cell phagocytic capacity in infected tissues. These data suggest that efforts to minimize inflammation in response to an insult at the respiratory mucosa render the host more susceptible to infections by Lm and possibly other pathogens that access the oral mucosa.

Increased Listeria monocytogenes Dissemination and Altered Population Dynamics in Muc2-Deficient Mice

The mucin Muc2 is a major constituent of the mucus layer that covers the intestinal epithelium and creates a barrier between epithelial cells and luminal commensal or pathogenic microorganisms. The Gram-positive foodborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes can cause enteritis and also disseminate from the intestine to give rise to systemic disease. L. monocytogenes can bind to intestinal Muc2, but the influence of the Muc2 mucin barrier on L. monocytogenes intestinal colonization and systemic dissemination has not been explored. Here, we used an orogastric L. monocytogenes infection model to investigate the role of Muc2 in host defense against L. monocytogenes Compared to wild-type mice, we found that Muc2^-/- mice exhibited heightened susceptibility to orogastric challenge with L. monocytogenes, with higher mortality, elevated colonic pathology, and increased pathogen burdens in both the intestinal tract and distal organs. In contrast, L. monocytogenes burdens were equivalent in wild-type and Muc2^-/- animals when the pathogen was administered intraperitoneally, suggesting that systemic immune defects related to Muc2 deficiency do not explain the heightened pathogen dissemination observed in oral infections. Using a barcoded L. monocytogenes library to measure intrahost pathogen population dynamics, we found that Muc2^-/- animals had larger pathogen founding population sizes in the intestine and distal sites than observed in wild-type animals. Comparisons of barcode frequencies suggested that the colon becomes the major source for seeding the internal organs in Muc2^-/- animals. Together, our findings reveal that Muc2 mucin plays a key role in controlling L. monocytogenes colonization, dissemination, and population dynamics.

barCoder: a tool to generate unique, orthogonal genetic tags for qPCR detection

BACKGROUND

Tracking dispersal of microbial populations in the environment requires specific detection methods that discriminate between the target strain and all potential natural and artificial interferents, including previously utilized tester strains. Recent work has shown that genomic insertion of short identification tags, called "barcodes" here, allows detection of chromosomally tagged strains by real-time PCR. Manual design of these barcodes is feasible for small sets, but expansion of the technique to larger pools of distinct and well-functioning assays would be significantly aided by software-guided design.

RESULTS

Here we introduce barCoder, a bioinformatics tool that facilitates the process of creating sets of uniquely identifiable barcoded strains. barCoder utilizes the genomic sequence of the target strain and a set of user-specified PCR parameters to generate a list of suggested barcode "modules" that consist of binding sites for primers and probes, and appropriate spacer sequences. Each module is designed to yield optimal PCR amplification and unique identification. Optimal amplification includes metrics such as ideal melting temperature and G+C content, appropriate spacing, and minimal stem-loop formation; unique identification includes low BLAST hits against the target organism, previously generated barcode modules, and databases (such as NCBI). We tested the ability of our algorithm to suggest appropriate barcodes by generating 12 modules for Bacillus thuringiensis serovar kurstaki-a simulant for the potential biowarfare agent Bacillus anthracis-and three each for other potential target organisms with variable G+C content. Real-time PCR detection assays directed at barcodes were specific and yielded minimal cross-reactivity with a panel of near-neighbor and potential contaminant materials.

CONCLUSIONS

The barCoder algorithm facilitates the generation of synthetically barcoded biological simulants by (a) eliminating the task of creating modules by hand, (b) minimizing optimization of PCR assays, and (c) reducing effort wasted on non-unique barcode modules.

An experimental design tool to optimize inference precision in data-driven mathematical models of bacterial infections in vivo

The management of bacterial diseases calls for a detailed knowledge about the dynamic changes in host-bacteria interactions. Biological insights are gained by integrating experimental data with mechanistic mathematical models to infer experimentally unobservable quantities. This inter-disciplinary field would benefit from experiments with maximal information content yielding high-precision inference. Here, we present a computationally efficient tool for optimizing experimental design in terms of parameter inference in studies using isogenic-tagged strains. We study the effect of three experimental design factors: number of biological replicates, sampling timepoint selection and number of copies per tagged strain. We conduct a simulation study to establish the relationship between our optimality criterion and the size of parameter estimate confidence intervals, and showcase its application in a range of biological scenarios reflecting different dynamics patterns observed in experimental infections. We show that in low-variance systems with low killing and replication rates, predicting high-precision experimental designs is consistently achieved; higher replicate sizes and strategic timepoint selection yield more precise estimates. Finally, we address the question of resource allocation under constraints; given a fixed number of host animals and a constraint on total inoculum size per host, infections with fewer strains at higher copies per strain lead to higher-precision inference.

An agent-based simulator for the gastrointestinal pathway of Listeria monocytogenes

We developed an agent-based gastric simulator for a human host to illustrate the within host survival mechanisms of Listeria monocytogenes. The simulator incorporates the gastric physiology and digestion processes that are critical for pathogen survival in the stomach. Mathematical formulations for the pH dynamics, stomach emptying time, and survival probability in the presence of gastric acid are integrated in the simulator to evaluate the portion of ingested bacteria that survives in the stomach and reaches the small intestine. The parameters are estimated using in vitro data relevant to the human stomach and L. monocytogenes. The simulator predicts that 5%-29% of ingested bacteria can survive a human stomach and reach the small intestine. In the absence of extensive scientific experiments, which are not feasible on the grounds of ethical and safety concerns, this simulator may provide a supplementary tool to evaluate pathogen survival and subsequent infection, especially with regards to the ingestion of small doses.

Localization of alpha-actinin-4 during infections by actin remodeling bacteria

Bacterial pathogens cause disease by subverting the structure and function of their target host cells. Several foodborne agents such as Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes), Shigella flexneri (S. flexneri), Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) and enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) manipulate the host actin cytoskeleton to cause diarrheal (and systemic) infections. During infections, these invasive and adherent pathogens hijack the actin filaments of their host cells and rearrange them into discrete actin-rich structures that promote bacterial adhesion (via pedestals), invasion (via membrane ruffles and endocytic cups), intracellular motility (via comet/rocket tails) and/or intercellular dissemination (via membrane protrusions and invaginations). We have previously shown that actin-rich structures generated by L. monocytogenes contain the host actin cross-linker α-actinin-4. Here we set out to examine α-actinin-4 during other key steps of the L. monocytogenes infectious cycle as well as characterize the subcellular distribution of α-actinin-4 during infections with other model actin-hijacking bacterial pathogens (S. flexneri, S. Typhimurium and EPEC). Although α-actinin-4 is absent at sites of initial L. monocytogenes invasion, we show that it is a new component of the membrane invaginations formed during secondary infections of neighboring host cells. Importantly, we reveal that α-actinin-4 also localizes to the major actin-rich structures generated during cell culture infections with S. flexneri (comet/rocket tails and membrane protrusions), S. Typhimurium (membrane ruffles) and EPEC (pedestals). Taken together, these findings suggest that α-actinin-4 is a host factor that is exploited by an assortment of actin-hijacking bacterial pathogens.

Elucidating host-microbe interactions in vivo by studying population dynamics using neutral genetic tags

Host–microbe interactions are highly dynamic in space and time, in particular in the case of infections. Pathogen population sizes, microbial phenotypes and the nature of the host responses often change dramatically over time. These features pose particular challenges when deciphering the underlying mechanisms of these interactions experimentally, as traditional microbiological and immunological methods mostly provide snapshots of population sizes or sparse time series. Recent approaches – combining experiments using neutral genetic tags with stochastic population dynamic models – allow more precise quantification of biologically relevant parameters that govern the interaction between microbe and host cell populations. This is accomplished by exploiting the patterns of change of tag composition in the microbe or host cell population under study. These models can be used to predict the effects of immunodeficiencies or therapies (e.g. antibiotic treatment) on populations and thereby generate hypotheses and refine experimental designs. In this review, we present tools to study population dynamics in vivo using genetic tags, explain examples for their implementation and briefly discuss future applications.

Integrating mathematical models with experimental data to investigate the within-host dynamics of bacterial infections

Bacterial infections still constitute a major cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. The unavailability of therapeutics, antimicrobial resistance and the chronicity of infections due to incomplete clearance contribute to this phenomenon. Despite the progress in antimicrobial and vaccine development, knowledge about the effect that therapeutics have on the host–bacteria interactions remains incomplete. Insights into the characteristics of bacterial colonization and migration between tissues and the relationship between replication and host- or therapeutically induced killing can enable efficient design of treatment approaches. Recently, innovative experimental techniques have generated data enabling the qualitative characterization of aspects of bacterial dynamics. Here, we argue that mathematical modeling as an adjunct to experimental data can enrich the biological insight that these data provide. However, due to limited interdisciplinary training, efforts to combine the two remain limited. To promote this dialogue, we provide a categorization of modeling approaches highlighting their relationship to data generated by a range of experimental techniques in the area of in vivo bacterial dynamics. We outline common biological themes explored using mathematical models with case studies across all pathogen classes. Finally, this review advocates multidisciplinary integration to improve our mechanistic understanding of bacterial infections and guide the use of existing or new therapies.

The Nonmevalonate Pathway of Isoprenoid Biosynthesis Supports Anaerobic Growth of Listeria monocytogenes

Isoprenoids are an essential and diverse class of molecules, present in all forms of life, that are synthesized from an essential common precursor derived from either the mevalonate pathway or the nonmevalonate pathway. Most bacteria have one pathway or the other, but the Gram-positive, facultative intracellular pathogen Listeria monocytogenes is unusual because it carries all the genes for both pathways. While the mevalonate pathway has previously been reported to be essential, here we demonstrate that the nonmevalonate pathway can support growth of strains 10403S and EGD-e, but only anaerobically. L. monocytogenes lacking the gene hmgR, encoding the rate-limiting enzyme of the mevalonate pathway, had a doubling time of 4 h under anaerobic conditions, in contrast to the 45 min doubling time of the wild type. In contrast, deleting hmgR in two clinical isolates resulted in mutants that grew significantly faster, doubling in approximately 2 h anaerobically, although they still failed to grow under aerobic conditions without mevalonate. The difference in anaerobic growth rate was traced to three amino acid changes in the nonmevalonate pathway enzyme GcpE, and these changes were sufficient to increase the growth rate of 10403S to the rate observed in the clinical isolates. Despite an increased growth rate, virulence was still dependent on the mevalonate pathway in 10403S strains expressing the more active GcpE allele.

A Multiorgan Trafficking Circuit Provides Purifying Selection of Listeria monocytogenes Virulence Genes

Listeria monocytogenes can cause a life-threatening illness when the foodborne pathogen spreads beyond the intestinal tract to distant organs. Many aspects of the intestinal phase of L. monocytogenes pathogenesis remain unknown. Here, we present a foodborne infection model using C57BL/6 mice that have been pretreated with streptomycin. In this model, as few as 100 L. monocytogenes CFU were required to cause self-limiting enterocolitis, and systemic dissemination followed previously reported routes. Using this model, we report that listeriolysin O (LLO) and actin assembly-inducing protein (ActA), two critical virulence determinants, were necessary for intestinal pathology and systemic spread but were dispensable for intestinal growth. Sequence tag-based analysis of microbial populations (STAMP) was used to investigate the within-host population dynamics of wild-type and LLO-deficient strains. The wild-type bacterial population experienced severe bottlenecks over the course of infection, and by 5 days, the intestinal population was highly enriched for bacteria originating from the gallbladder. In contrast, LLO-deficient strains did not efficiently disseminate and gain access to the gallbladder, and the intestinal population remained diverse. These findings suggest that systemic spread and establishment of a bacterial reservoir in the gallbladder imparts an intraspecies advantage in intestinal occupancy. Since intestinal L. monocytogenes is ultimately released into the environment, within-host population bottlenecks may provide purifying selection of virulence genes.IMPORTANCEListeria monocytogenes maintains capabilities for free-living growth in the environment and for intracellular replication in a wide range of hosts, including livestock and humans. Here, we characterized an enterocolitis model of foodborne L. monocytogenes infection. This work highlights a multiorgan trafficking circuit and reveals a fitness advantage for bacteria that successfully complete this cycle. Because virulence factors play critical roles in systemic dissemination and multiple bottlenecks occur as the bacterial population colonizes different tissue sites, this multiorgan trafficking circuit likely provides purifying selection of virulence genes. This study also serves as a foundation for future work using the L. monocytogenes-induced enterocolitis model to investigate the biology of L. monocytogenes in the intestinal environment.

STAT4 Directs a Protective Innate Lymphoid Cell Response to Gastrointestinal Infection

Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) are strategically positioned at mucosal barrier surfaces where they respond quickly to infection or injury. Therefore, we hypothesized that ILCs are key contributors to the early immune response in the intestine against Listeria monocytogenes Using a modified strain of L. monocytogenes that mimics human gastrointestinal listeriosis in mice, we find ILCs to be essential for control of early replication of L. monocytogenes in the intestine as well as for restricted dissemination of bacteria to peripheral tissues. Specifically, group 1 ILCs (ILC1s) and group 3 ILCs (ILC3s) respond to infection with proliferation and IFN-γ and IL-22 production. Mechanistically, we show that the transcription factor STAT4 is required for the proliferative and IFN-γ effector response by ILC1s and ILC3s, and loss of STAT4 signaling in the innate immune compartment results in an inability to control bacterial growth and dissemination. Interestingly, STAT4 acts acutely as a transcription factor to promote IFN-γ production. Together, these data illustrate a critical role for ILCs in the early responses to gastrointestinal infection with L. monocytogenes and identify STAT4 as a central modulator of ILC-mediated protection.

Hypervirulent Listeria monocytogenes clones' adaption to mammalian gut accounts for their association with dairy products

Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) is a major human and animal foodborne pathogen. Here we show that hypervirulent Lm clones, particularly CC1, are strongly associated with dairy products, whereas hypovirulent clones, CC9 and CC121, are associated with meat products. Clone adaptation to distinct ecological niches and/or different food products contamination routes may account for this uneven distribution. Indeed, hypervirulent clones colonize better the intestinal lumen and invade more intestinal tissues than hypovirulent ones, reflecting their adaption to host environment. Conversely, hypovirulent clones are adapted to food processing environments, with a higher prevalence of stress resistance and benzalkonium chloride tolerance genes and a higher survival and biofilm formation capacity in presence of sub-lethal benzalkonium chloride concentrations. Lm virulence heterogeneity therefore reflects the diversity of the ecological niches in which it evolves. These results also have important public health implications and may help in reducing food contamination and improving food consumption recommendations to at-risk populations.

Necroptosis mediators RIPK3 and MLKL suppress intracellular Listeria replication independently of host cell killing

RIPK3, a key mediator of necroptosis, has been implicated in the host defense against viral infection primary in immune cells. However, gene expression analysis revealed that RIPK3 is abundantly expressed not only in immune organs but also in the gastrointestinal tract, particularly in the small intestine. We found that orally inoculated Listeria monocytogenes, a bacterial foodborne pathogen, efficiently spread and caused systemic infection in Ripk3-deficient mice while almost no dissemination was observed in wild-type mice. Listeria infection activated the RIPK3-MLKL pathway in cultured cells, which resulted in suppression of intracellular replication of Listeria Surprisingly, Listeria infection-induced phosphorylation of MLKL did not result in host cell killing. We found that MLKL directly binds to Listeria and inhibits their replication in the cytosol. Our findings have revealed a novel functional role of the RIPK3-MLKL pathway in nonimmune cell-derived host defense against Listeria invasion, which is mediated through cell death-independent mechanisms.

Barcoded Consortium Infections Resolve Cell Type-Dependent Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium Entry Mechanisms

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S.Tm) is a widespread and broad-host-spectrum enteropathogen with the capacity to invade diverse cell types. Still, the molecular basis for the host cell invasion process has largely been inferred from studies of a few selected cell lines. Our work resolves the mechanisms that Salmonellae employ to invade prototypical host cell types, i.e., human epithelial, monocyte, and macrophage cells, at a previously unattainable level of temporal and quantitative precision. This highlights efficient bacterium-driven entry into innate immune cells and uncovers a type III secretion system effector module that dominates active bacterial invasion of not only epithelial cells but also monocytes and macrophages. The results are derived from a generalizable method, where we combine barcoding of the bacterial chromosome with mixed consortium infections of cultured host cells. The application of this methodology across bacterial species and infection models will provide a scalable means to address host-pathogen interactions in diverse contexts.

Bacterial host cell invasion mechanisms depend on the bacterium’s virulence factors and the properties of the target cell. The enteropathogen Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S.Tm) invades epithelial cell types in the gut mucosa and a variety of immune cell types at later infection stages. The molecular mechanism(s) of host cell entry has, however, been studied predominantly in epithelial cell lines. S.Tm uses a type three secretion system (TTSS-1) to translocate effectors into the host cell cytosol, thereby sparking actin ruffle-dependent entry. The ruffles also fuel cooperative invasion by bystander bacteria. In addition, several TTSS-1-independent entry mechanisms exist, involving alternative S.Tm virulence factors, or the passive uptake of bacteria by phagocytosis. However, it remains ill-defined how S.Tm invasion mechanisms vary between host cells. Here, we developed an internally controlled and scalable method to map S.Tm invasion mechanisms across host cell types and conditions. The method relies on host cell infections with consortia of chromosomally tagged wild-type and mutant S.Tm strains, where the abundance of each strain can be quantified by qPCR or amplicon sequencing. Using this methodology, we quantified cooccurring TTSS-1-dependent, cooperative, and TTSS-1-independent invasion events in epithelial, monocyte, and macrophage cells. We found S.Tm invasion of epithelial cells and monocytes to proceed by a similar MOI-dependent mix of TTSS-1-dependent and cooperative mechanisms. TTSS-1-independent entry was more frequent in macrophages. Still, TTSS-1-dependent invasion dominated during the first minutes of interaction also with this cell type. Finally, the combined action of the SopB/SopE/SopE2 effectors was sufficient to explain TTSS-1-dependent invasion across both epithelial and phagocytic cells.

Innate and Adaptive Immune Responses during Listeria monocytogenes Infection

It could be argued that we understand the immune response to infection with Listeria monocytogenes better than the immunity elicited by any other bacteria. L. monocytogenes are Gram-positive bacteria that are genetically tractable and easy to cultivate in vitro, and the mouse model of intravenous (i.v.) inoculation is highly reproducible. For these reasons, immunologists frequently use the mouse model of systemic listeriosis to dissect the mechanisms used by mammalian hosts to recognize and respond to infection. This article provides an overview of what we have learned over the past few decades and is divided into three sections: "Innate Immunity" describes how the host initially detects the presence of L. monocytogenes and characterizes the soluble and cellular responses that occur during the first few days postinfection; "Adaptive Immunity" discusses the exquisitely specific T cell response that mediates complete clearance of infection and immunological memory; "Use of Attenuated Listeria as a Vaccine Vector" highlights the ways that investigators have exploited our extensive knowledge of anti-Listeria immunity to develop cancer therapeutics.

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.

In Vivo Virulence Characterization of Pregnancy-Associated Listeria monocytogenes Infections

Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen that infects the placenta and can cause pregnancy complications. Listeriosis usually occurs as a sporadic infection, but large outbreaks are also reported.

Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen that infects the placenta and can cause pregnancy complications. Listeriosis usually occurs as a sporadic infection, but large outbreaks are also reported. Virulence from clinical isolates is rarely analyzed due to the large number of animals required, but this knowledge could help guide the response to an outbreak. We implemented a DNA barcode system using signature tags that allowed us to efficiently assay variations in virulence across a large number of isolates. We tested 77 signature-tagged clones of clinical L. monocytogenes strains from 72 infected human placentas and 5 immunocompromised patients, all of which were isolated since 2000. These strains were tested for virulence in a modified competition assay in comparison to that of the laboratory strain 10403S. We used two in vivo models of listeriosis: the nonpregnant mouse and the pregnant guinea pig. Strains that were frequently found at a high abundance within infected organs were considered hypervirulent, while strains frequently found at a low abundance were considered hypovirulent. Virulence split relatively evenly among hypovirulent strains, hypervirulent strains, and strains as virulent as 10403S. The laboratory strain was found to have an intermediate virulence phenotype, supporting its suitability for use in pathogenesis studies. Further, we found that splenic virulence and placental virulence are closely linked in both the guinea pig and mouse models. This suggests that outbreak and sporadic pregnancy-associated L. monocytogenes strains are not generally more virulent than lab reference strains. However, some strains did show consistent and reproducible virulence differences, suggesting that their further study may reveal deeper insights into the biological underpinnings of listeriosis.

Advancing risk assessment: mechanistic dose-response modelling of Listeria monocytogenes infection in human populations

The utility of characterizing the effects of strain variation and individual/subgroup susceptibility on dose-response outcomes has motivated the search for new approaches beyond the popular use of the exponential dose-response model for listeriosis. While descriptive models can account for such variation, they have limited power to extrapolate beyond the details of particular outbreaks. By contrast, this study exhibits dose-response relationships from a mechanistic basis, quantifying key biological factors involved in pathogen-host dynamics. An efficient computational algorithm and geometric interpretation of the infection pathway are developed to connect dose-response relationships with the underlying bistable dynamics of the model. Relying on in vitro experiments as well as outbreak data, we estimate plausible parameters for the human context. Despite the presence of uncertainty in such parameters, sensitivity analysis reveals that the host response is most influenced by the pathogen-immune system interaction. In particular, we show how variation in this interaction across a subgroup of the population dictates the shape of dose-response curves. Finally, in terms of future experimentation, our model results provide guidelines and highlight vital aspects of the interplay between immune cells and particular strains of Listeria monocytogenes that should be examined.

Animal and Human Tissue Models of Vertical Listeria monocytogenes Transmission and Implications for Other Pregnancy-Associated Infections

Intrauterine infections lead to serious complications for mother and fetus, including preterm birth, maternal and fetal death, and neurological sequelae in the surviving offspring. Improving maternal and child heath is a global priority. Yet, the development of strategies to prevent and treat pregnancy-related diseases has lagged behind progress made in other medical fields. One of the challenges is finding tractable model systems that replicate the human maternal-fetal interface. Animal models offer the ability to study pathogenesis and host defenses in vivo However, the anatomy of the maternal-fetal interface is highly divergent across species. While many tools are available to study host responses in the pregnant mouse model, other animals have placentas that are more similar to that of humans. Here we describe new developments in animal and human tissue models to investigate the pathogenesis of listeriosis at the maternal-fetal interface. We highlight gaps in existing knowledge and make recommendations on how they can be filled.

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.

Listeria monocytogenes InlP interacts with afadin and facilitates basement membrane crossing

During pregnancy, the placenta protects the fetus against the maternal immune response, as well as bacterial and viral pathogens. Bacterial pathogens that have evolved specific mechanisms of breaching this barrier, such as Listeria monocytogenes, present a unique opportunity for learning how the placenta carries out its protective function. We previously identified the L. monocytogenes protein Internalin P (InlP) as a secreted virulence factor critical for placental infection. Here, we show that InlP, but not the highly similar L. monocytogenes internalin Lmo2027, binds to human afadin (encoded by AF-6), a protein associated with cell-cell junctions. A crystal structure of InlP reveals several unique features, including an extended leucine-rich repeat (LRR) domain with a distinctive Ca2+-binding site. Despite afadin's involvement in the formation of cell-cell junctions, MDCK epithelial cells expressing InlP displayed a decrease in the magnitude of the traction stresses they could exert on deformable substrates, similar to the decrease in traction exhibited by AF-6 knock-out MDCK cells. L. monocytogenes ΔinlP mutants were deficient in their ability to form actin-rich protrusions from the basal face of polarized epithelial monolayers, a necessary step in the crossing of such monolayers (transcytosis). A similar phenotype was observed for bacteria expressing an internal in-frame deletion in inlP (inlP ΔLRR5) that specifically disrupts its interaction with afadin. However, afadin deletion in the host cells did not rescue the transcytosis defect. We conclude that secreted InlP targets cytosolic afadin to specifically promote L. monocytogenes transcytosis across the basal face of epithelial monolayers, which may contribute to the crossing of the basement membrane during placental infection.

A Comparison of Oral and Intravenous Mouse Models of Listeriosis

Listeria monocytogenes is one of several enteric microbes that is acquired orally, invades the gastric mucosa, and then disseminates to peripheral tissues to cause systemic disease in humans. Intravenous (i.v.) inoculation of mice with L. monocytogenes has been the most widely-used small animal model of listeriosis over the past few decades. The infection is highly reproducible and has been invaluable in deciphering mechanisms of adaptive immunity in vivo, particularly CD8⁺ T cell responses to intracellular pathogens. However, the i.v. model completely bypasses the gut phase of the infection. Recent advances in generating both humanized mice and murinized bacteria, as well as the development of a foodborne route of transmission has reignited interest in studying oral models of listeriosis. In this review, we analyze previously published reports to highlight both the similarities and differences in tissue colonization and host response to infection using either oral or i.v. inoculation.

Route of Injection Affects the Impact of InlB Internalin Domain Variants on Severity of Listeria monocytogenes Infection in Mice

The facultative intracellular pathogen Listeria monocytogenes causes a severe food-borne infection in humans and animals. L. monocytogenes invasion factor InlB interacts with the tyrosine kinase c-Met via the N-terminal internalin domain. Previously, distinct variants of the InlB internalin domain (idInlB) have been described in L. monocytogenes field isolates. Three variants were used to restore full-length InlB expression in the L. monocytogenes strain EGDeΔinlB. Obtained isogenic L. monocytogenes strains were tested in the invasion assay and intravenous, intraperitoneal, and intragastric models of infection in mice. All idInlBs were functional, restored InlB activity as an invasion factor, and improved invasion of the parental strain EGDeΔinlB into human kidney HEK23 cells. Meanwhile, distinct idInlBs provided different mortality rates and bacterial loads in internal organs. When recombinant strains were compared, the variant designated idInlB14 decreased severity of disease caused by intravenous and intraperitoneal bacterial administration, whereas this variant improved intestine colonization and stimulated intragastric infection. Obtained results demonstrated that naturally occurring idInlBs differed in their impact on severity of L. monocytogenes infection in mice in dependence on the infection route.

Multifaceted Defense against Listeria monocytogenes in the Gastro-Intestinal Lumen

Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen that can cause febrile gastroenteritis in healthy subjects and systemic infections in immunocompromised individuals. Despite the high prevalence of L. monocytogenes in the environment and frequent contamination of uncooked meat and poultry products, infections with this pathogen are relatively uncommon, suggesting that protective defenses in the general population are effective. In the mammalian gastrointestinal tract, a variety of defense mechanisms prevent L. monocytogenes growth, epithelial penetration and systemic dissemination. Among these defenses, colonization resistance mediated by the gut microbiota is crucial in protection against a range of intestinal pathogens, including L. monocytogenes. Here we review defined mechanisms of defense against L. monocytogenes in the lumen of the gastro-intestinal tract, with particular emphasis on protection conferred by the autochthonous microbiota. We suggest that selected probiotic species derived from the microbiota may be developed for eventual clinical use to enhance resistance against L. monocytogenes infections.

An efficient moments-based inference method for within-host bacterial infection dynamics

Over the last ten years, isogenic tagging (IT) has revolutionised the study of bacterial infection dynamics in laboratory animal models. However, quantitative analysis of IT data has been hindered by the piecemeal development of relevant statistical models. The most promising approach relies on stochastic Markovian models of bacterial population dynamics within and among organs. Here we present an efficient numerical method to fit such stochastic dynamic models to in vivo experimental IT data. A common approach to statistical inference with stochastic dynamic models relies on producing large numbers of simulations, but this remains a slow and inefficient method for all but simple problems, especially when tracking bacteria in multiple locations simultaneously. Instead, we derive and solve the systems of ordinary differential equations for the two lower-order moments of the stochastic variables (mean, variance and covariance). For any given model structure, and assuming linear dynamic rates, we demonstrate how the model parameters can be efficiently and accurately estimated by divergence minimisation. We then apply our method to an experimental dataset and compare the estimates and goodness-of-fit to those obtained by maximum likelihood estimation. While both sets of parameter estimates had overlapping confidence regions, the new method produced lower values for the division and death rates of bacteria: these improved the goodness-of-fit at the second time point at the expense of that of the first time point. This flexible framework can easily be applied to a range of experimental systems. Its computational efficiency paves the way for model comparison and optimal experimental design.

Commensal microbes provide first line defense against Listeria monocytogenes infection

Becattini et al. provide evidence that a diverse gut microbiota antagonizes the foodborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes in the intestinal lumen, thereby reducing bloodstream invasion. Microbiota perturbation by antibiotic treatment increases susceptibility to listeriosis, with dramatic effects in immunocompromised hosts.

Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne pathogen that causes septicemia, meningitis and chorioamnionitis and is associated with high mortality. Immunocompetent humans and animals, however, can tolerate high doses of L. monocytogenes without developing systemic disease. The intestinal microbiota provides colonization resistance against many orally acquired pathogens, and antibiotic-mediated depletion of the microbiota reduces host resistance to infection. Here we show that a diverse microbiota markedly reduces Listeria monocytogenes colonization of the gut lumen and prevents systemic dissemination. Antibiotic administration to mice before low dose oral inoculation increases L. monocytogenes growth in the intestine. In immunodeficient or chemotherapy-treated mice, the intestinal microbiota provides nonredundant defense against lethal, disseminated infection. We have assembled a consortium of commensal bacteria belonging to the Clostridiales order, which exerts in vitro antilisterial activity and confers in vivo resistance upon transfer into germ free mice. Thus, we demonstrate a defensive role of the gut microbiota against Listeria monocytogenes infection and identify intestinal commensal species that, by enhancing resistance against this pathogen, represent potential probiotics.

Deciphering the landscape of host barriers to Listeria monocytogenes infection

Listeria monocytogenes is a common food-borne pathogen that can disseminate from the intestine and infect multiple organs. Here, we used sequence tag-based analysis of microbial populations (STAMP) to investigate Lmonocytogenes population dynamics during infection. We created a genetically barcoded library of murinized Lmonocytogenes and then used deep sequencing to track the pathogen's dissemination routes and quantify its founding population (N_b) sizes in different organs. We found that the pathogen disseminates from the gastrointestinal tract to distal sites through multiple independent routes and that N_b sizes vary greatly among tissues, indicative of diverse host barriers to infection. Unexpectedly, comparative analyses of sequence tags revealed that fecally excreted organisms are largely derived from the very small number of L. monocytogenes cells that colonize the gallbladder. Immune depletion studies suggest that distinct innate immune cells restrict the pathogen's capacity to establish replicative niches in the spleen and liver. Finally, studies in germ-free mice suggest that the microbiota plays a critical role in the development of the splenic, but not the hepatic, barriers that prevent L. monocytogenes from seeding these organs. Collectively, these observations illustrate the potency of the STAMP approach to decipher the impact of host factors on population dynamics of pathogens during infection.

InlP, a New Virulence Factor with Strong Placental Tropism

Intrauterine infection is a major detriment for maternal-child health and occurs despite local mechanisms that protect the maternal-fetal interface from a wide variety of pathogens. The bacterial pathogen Listeria monocytogenes causes spontaneous abortion, stillbirth, and preterm labor in humans and serves as a model for placental pathogenesis. Given the unique immunological environment of the maternal-fetal interface, we hypothesized that virulence determinants with placental tropism are required for infection of this tissue. We performed a genomic screen in pregnant guinea pigs that led to the identification of 201 listerial genes important for infection of the placenta but not maternal liver. Among these genes was lmrg1778 (lmo2470), here named inlP, predicted to encode a secreted protein that belongs to the internalin family. InlP is conserved in virulent L. monocytogenes strains but absent in Listeria species that are nonpathogenic for humans. The intracellular life cycle of L. monocytogenes deficient in inlP (ΔinlP) was not impaired. In guinea pigs and mice, InlP increased the placental bacterial burden by a factor of 3 log₁₀ while having only a minor role in other maternal organs. Furthermore, the ΔinlP strain was attenuated in intracellular growth in primary human placental organ cultures and trophoblasts. InlP is a novel virulence factor for listeriosis with a strong tropism for the placenta. This virulence factor represents a tool for the development of new modalities to prevent and treat infection-related pregnancy complications.

Unraveling the dose-response puzzle of L. monocytogenes: A mechanistic approach

Food-borne disease outbreaks caused by Listeria monocytogenes continue to impose heavy burdens on public health in North America and globally. To explore the threat L. monocytogenes presents to the elderly, pregnant woman and immuno-compromised individuals, many studies have focused on in-host infection mechanisms and risk evaluation in terms of dose-response outcomes. However, the connection of these two foci has received little attention, leaving risk prediction with an insufficient mechanistic basis. Consequently, there is a critical need to quantifiably link in-host infection pathways with the dose-response paradigm. To better understand these relationships, we propose a new mathematical model to describe the gastro-intestinal pathway of L. monocytogenes within the host. The model dynamics are shown to be sensitive to inoculation doses and exhibit bi-stability phenomena. Applying the model to guinea pigs, we show how it provides useful tools to identify key parameters and to inform critical values of these parameters that are pivotal in risk evaluation. Our preliminary analysis shows that the effect of gastro-environmental stress, the role of commensal microbiota and immune cells are critical for successful infection of L. monocytogenes and for dictating the shape of the dose-response curves.

A Bioluminescent Francisella tularensis SCHU S4 Strain Enables Noninvasive Tracking of Bacterial Dissemination and the Evaluation of Antibiotics in an Inhalational Mouse Model of Tularemia

Bioluminescence imaging (BLI) enables real-time, noninvasive tracking of infection in vivo and longitudinal infection studies. In this study, a bioluminescent Francisella tularensis strain, SCHU S4-lux, was used to develop an inhalational infection model in BALB/c mice. Mice were infected intranasally, and the progression of infection was monitored in real time using BLI. A bioluminescent signal was detectable from 3 days postinfection (3 dpi), initially in the spleen and then in the liver and lymph nodes, before finally becoming systemic. The level of bioluminescent signal correlated with bacterial numbers in vivo, enabling noninvasive quantification of bacterial burdens in tissues. Treatment with levofloxacin (commencing at 4 dpi) significantly reduced the BLI signal. Furthermore, BLI was able to distinguish noninvasively between different levofloxacin treatment regimens and to identify sites of relapse following treatment cessation. These data demonstrate that BLI and SCHU S4-lux are suitable for the study of F. tularensis pathogenesis and the evaluation of therapeutics for tularemia.

Pathogens Use and Abuse MicroRNAs to Deceive the Immune System

Emerging evidence has demonstrated that microRNAs (miRs) play a role in the survival and amplification of viruses, bacteria and other pathogens. There are various ways in which pathogens can benefit from miR-directed alterations in protein translation and signal transduction. Members of the herpesviridae family have previously been shown to encode multiple miRs, while the production of miRs by viruses like HIV-1 remained controversial. Recently, novel techniques have facilitated the elucidation of true miR targets by establishing miR-argonaute association and the subsequent interactions with their cognate cellular mRNAs. This, in combination with miR reporter assays, has generated physiologically relevant evidence that miRs from the herpesviridae family have the potential to downregulate multiple cellular targets, which are involved in immune activation, cytokine signaling and apoptosis. In addition, viruses and bacteria have also been linked to the induction of host cellular miRs, which have the capacity to mitigate immune activation, cytokine signaling and apoptosis. Interfering with miR expression may be clinically relevant. In the case of hepatitis C infection, the cellular miR-122 is already targeted therapeutically. This not only exemplifies how important miRs can be for the survival of specific viruses, but it also delineates the potential to use miRs as drug targets. In this paper we will review the latest reports on viruses and bacteria that abuse miR regulation for their benefit, which may be of interest in the development of miR-directed therapies.

Lung microenvironment promotes the metastasis of human hepatocellular carcinoma cells to the lungs

Cancer metastasis is a highly tissue-specific and organ-selective process. It has been shown that the affected tissues and/or organs play a major role in this complex process. The lung is the most common target organ of extrahepatic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) metastasis, but the precise molecular mechanism underlying this organ-specific metastasis remains unclear. We hypothesized that lung microenvironment was able to promote the metastasis of HCC cells to the lungs leading to distant metastases. In support of our hypothesis, we provided evidence from targeted metastasis in various types of cancer and contributing factors in the microenvironment of targeted tissues/organs. A better understanding of the steps involved in the interplay between HCC cells and lung microenvironment may offer new perspectives for the medical management of lung metastases of HCC.

Assessing bacterial invasion of cardiac cells in culture and heart colonization in infected mice using Listeria monocytogenes

Listeria monocytogenes is a Gram-positive facultative intracellular pathogen that is capable of causing serious invasive infections in immunocompromised patients, the elderly, and pregnant women. The most common manifestations of listeriosis in humans include meningitis, encephalitis, and fetal abortion. A significant but much less documented sequelae of invasive L. monocytogenes infection involves the heart. The death rate from cardiac illness can be up to 35% despite treatment, however very little is known regarding L. monocytogenes colonization of cardiac tissue and its resultant pathologies. In addition, it has recently become apparent that subpopulations of L. monocytogenes have an enhanced capacity to invade and grow within cardiac tissue. This protocol describes in detail in vitro and in vivo methods that can be used for assessing cardiotropism of L. monocytogenes isolates. Methods are presented for the infection of H9c2 rat cardiac myoblasts in tissue culture as well as for the determination of bacterial colonization of the hearts of infected mice. These methods are useful not only for identifying strains with the potential to colonize cardiac tissue in infected animals, but may also facilitate the identification of bacterial gene products that serve to enhance cardiac cell invasion and/or drive changes in heart pathology. These methods also provide for the direct comparison of cardiotropism between multiple L. monocytogenes strains.

Intracellular Listeria monocytogenes comprises a minimal but vital fraction of the intestinal burden following foodborne infection

Listeria monocytogenes is a highly adaptive bacterium that replicates as a free-living saprophyte in the environment as well as a facultative intracellular pathogen that causes invasive foodborne infections. The intracellular life cycle of L. monocytogenes is considered to be its primary virulence determinant during mammalian infection; however, the proportion of L. monocytogenes that is intracellular in vivo has not been studied extensively. In this report, we demonstrate that the majority of wild-type (strain EGDe) and mouse-adapted (InlA(m)-expressing) L. monocytogenes recovered from the mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN) was extracellular within the first few days after foodborne infection. In addition, significantly lower burdens of L. monocytogenes were recovered from the colon, spleen, and liver of gentamicin-treated mice than of control mice. This led us to investigate whether intracellular replication of L. monocytogenes was essential during the intestinal phase of infection. We found that lipoate protein ligase-deficient L. monocytogenes (ΔlplA1) mutants, which display impaired intracellular growth, were able to colonize the colon but did not persist efficiently and had a significant defect in spreading to the MLN, spleen, and liver. Together, these data indicate that the majority of the L. monocytogenes burden in the gastrointestinal tract is extracellular, but the small proportion of intracellular L. monocytogenes is essential for dissemination to the MLN and systemic organs.

Proinflammatory microenvironments within the intestine regulate the differentiation of tissue-resident CD8⁺ T cells responding to infection

We report that oral infection with Yersinia pseudotuberculosis (Yptb) results in development of two distinct populations of pathogen-specific CD8 tissue-resident memory T (T_RM) cells in the lamina propria (LP). CD103^– T cells did not require transforming-growth factor-β (TGF-β) signaling, but were true resident memory cells. Unlike CD103⁺ CD8 T cells, which were TGF-β-dependent and scattered in the tissue, CD103^– T cells clustered with CD4 T cells and CX3CR1⁺ macrophages and/or dendritic cells around areas of bacterial infection. CXCR3-dependent recruitment to inflamed areas was critical for development of the CD103^– population and pathogen clearance. These studies have identified the preferential development of CD103^– LP T_RM cells in inflammatory microenvironments within the LP and suggest that this subset plays a critical role in controlling infection.

Intraspecies competition for niches in the distal gut dictate transmission during persistent Salmonella infection

In order to be transmitted, a pathogen must first successfully colonize and multiply within a host. Ecological principles can be applied to study host-pathogen interactions to predict transmission dynamics. Little is known about the population biology of Salmonella during persistent infection. To define Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium population structure in this context, 129SvJ mice were oral gavaged with a mixture of eight wild-type isogenic tagged Salmonella (WITS) strains. Distinct subpopulations arose within intestinal and systemic tissues after 35 days, and clonal expansion of the cecal and colonic subpopulation was responsible for increases in Salmonella fecal shedding. A co-infection system utilizing differentially marked isogenic strains was developed in which each mouse received one strain orally and the other systemically by intraperitoneal (IP) injection. Co-infections demonstrated that the intestinal subpopulation exerted intraspecies priority effects by excluding systemic S. Typhimurium from colonizing an extracellular niche within the cecum and colon. Importantly, the systemic strain was excluded from these distal gut sites and was not transmitted to naïve hosts. In addition, S. Typhimurium required hydrogenase, an enzyme that mediates acquisition of hydrogen from the gut microbiota, during the first week of infection to exert priority effects in the gut. Thus, early inhibitory priority effects are facilitated by the acquisition of nutrients, which allow S. Typhimurium to successfully compete for a nutritional niche in the distal gut. We also show that intraspecies colonization resistance is maintained by Salmonella Pathogenicity Islands SPI1 and SPI2 during persistent distal gut infection. Thus, important virulence effectors not only modulate interactions with host cells, but are crucial for Salmonella colonization of an extracellular intestinal niche and thereby also shape intraspecies dynamics. We conclude that priority effects and intraspecies competition for colonization niches in the distal gut control Salmonella population assembly and transmission.