Murine model of pregnancy-associated Listeria monocytogenes infection

Listeria monocytogenes has been recognized as a significant pathogen, occurring worldwide, capable of causing animal and human infections. In its most severe form, listeriosis is an invasive disease that affects immunocompromised patients. Additionally, pregnant women represent a high-risk group for L. monocytogenes infection. Abortion, stillbirth or severe neonatal infection can be the serious outcome of such an infection. In an experimental murine model of pregnancy-associated listeriosis we studied the impact of L. monocytogenes on the maternal immune response and pregnancy outcome. In comparison to virgin animals, pregnant mice mounted lower levels of protective cytokines and were unable to eliminate the pathogen. The impaired maternal immune response that has been found both on the systemic and local level, facilitated bacterial multiplication in the liver, placenta and ultimately in the fetal tissues. This resulted in severe necrotizing hemorrhagic hepatitis and Listeria-induced placental necrosis, increasing the incidence of postimplantation loss and poor pregnancy outcome.     

A single amino acid in E-cadherin responsible for host specificity towards the human pathogen Listeria monocytogenes.

Human E-cadherin promotes entry of the bacterial pathogen Listeria monocytogenes into mammalian cells by interacting with internalin (InlA), a bacterial surface protein. Here we show that mouse E-cadherin, although very similar to human E-cadherin (85% identity), is not a receptor for internalin. By a series of domain-swapping and mutagenesis experiments, we identify Pro16 of E-cadherin as a residue critical for specificity: a Pro-->Glu substitution in human E-cadherin totally abrogates interaction, whereas a Glu-->Pro substitution in mouse E-cadherin results in a complete gain of function. A correlation between cell permissivity and the nature of residue 16 in E-cadherins from several species is established. The location of this key specificity residue in a region of E-cadherin not involved in cell-cell adhesion and the stringency of the interaction demonstrated here have important consequences not only for the understanding of internalin function but also for the choice of the animal model to be used to study human listeriosis: mouse, albeit previously widely used, and rat appear as inappropriate animal models to study all aspects of human listeriosis, as opposed to guinea-pig, which now stands as a small animal of choice for future in vivo studies.     

单增李斯特菌溶血素O的功能研究进展

单核细胞增生李斯特菌(Listeria monocytogenes, Lm,简称单增李斯特菌)是一种普遍存在的革兰阳性食源性病原体,可引起人类和一些动物的李斯特菌病。侵袭性李斯特菌病通常很严重,临床上表现为自然流产、败血症和脑膜脑炎,也可表现为发热性胃肠炎综合症。成孔蛋白单增李斯特菌溶血素O(Listeriolysin O,LLO,由hly基因编码)是一种重要的毒力因子,属于胆固醇依赖性细胞溶解素(cholesterol-dependent cytolysins,CDC)毒素,其通过膜穿孔机制介导Lm从吞噬体逃逸并引起李斯特菌病。最近的研究表明LLO除了主要的膜穿孔作用,还存在其他功能,在Lm感染过程中扮演了重要的角色。从LLO的功能和作用机制等方面综述了近些年对该毒素的研究进展,以便更好地理解单增李斯特菌的感染机制,为防治李斯特病的相关研究提供参考。     

Oral Transmission of Listeria monocytogenes in Mice via Ingestion of Contaminated Food

L. monocytogenes are facultative intracellular bacterial pathogens that cause food borne infections in humans. Very little is known about the gastrointestinal phase of listeriosis due to the lack of a small animal model that closely mimics human disease. This paper describes a novel mouse model for oral transmission of L. monocytogenes. Using this model, mice fed L. monocytogenes-contaminated bread have a discrete phase of gastrointestinal infection, followed by varying degrees of systemic spread in susceptible (BALB/c/By/J) or resistant (C57BL/6) mouse strains. During the later stages of the infection, dissemination to the gall bladder and brain is observed. The food borne model of listeriosis is highly reproducible, does not require specialized skills, and can be used with a wide variety of bacterial isolates and laboratory mouse strains. As such, it is the ideal model to study both virulence strategies used by L. monocytogenes to promote intestinal colonization, as well as the host response to invasive food borne bacterial infection.     

Factors associated with the acquisition and severity of gestational listeriosis

Gravid mammals are more prone to listeriosis than their nongravid counterparts. However, many features of the disease in gravid animals are not well defined. We determined, in mice, that increased susceptibility to lethal infection following oral inoculation begins surprisingly early in pregnancy and extends through embryonic development. Pregnancy did not demonstrably increase the spread of listeriae from the intestine to the liver and spleen in the initial 96 h period post inoculation. Consequently, it appeared that gravid animals were competent to contain an enteric infection, but in those instances where escape did occur, a lethal outcome was more likely. Interestingly, colonic colonization level and prevalence, measured 96 h post inoculation, was significantly higher in gravid individuals. In terms of human risk factors for listeriosis, our results suggest that the window of listeriosis susceptibility afforded by pregnancy may be open longer than previously appreciated. Our results also suggest that while gravid animals are competent to contain an enteric infection, enteric carriage rate may be more of a factor in defining disease incidence than previously considered.     

Genetic Characteristics of Japanese Clinical Listeria monocytogenes Isolates

Listeria monocytogenes causes foodborne illnesses through consumption of ready-to-eat foods. Although 135-201annual listeriosis cases have been estimated in Japan, the details regarding the clinical isolates such as infection source, virulence level, and other genetic characteristics, are not known. In order to uncover the trends of listeriosis in Japan and use the knowledge for prevention measures to be taken, the genetic characteristics of the past human clinical isolates needs to be elucidated. For this purpose, multilocus tandem-repeat sequence analysis (MLTSA) and multi-virulence-locus sequence typing (MVLST) were used in this study. The clinical isolates showed a variety of genetically distant genotypes, indicating they were from sporadic cases. However, the MVLST profiles of 7 clinical isolates were identical to those of epidemic clone (EC) I isolates, which have caused several serious outbreaks in other countries, suggesting the possibility that they have strong virulence potential and originated from a single outbreak. Moreover, 6 Japanese food isolates shared their genotypes with ECI isolates, indicating that there may be risks for listeriosis outbreak in Japan. This is the first investigational study on genetic characteristics of Japanese listeriosis isolates. The listeriosis cases happened in the past are presumably sporadic, but it is still possible that some isolates with strong virulence potential have caused listeriosis outbreaks, and future listeriosis risks also exist.     

Betaine and carnitine uptake systems in Listeria monocytogenes affect growth and survival in foods and during infection

AIMS: To establish the relative importance of the osmo- and cryoprotective compounds glycine betaine and carnitine, and their transporters, for listerial growth and survival, in foods and during infection. METHODS AND RESULTS: A set of Listeria monocytogenes mutants with single, double and triple mutations in the genes encoding the principal betaine and carnitine uptake systems (gbu, betL and opuC, respectively) was used to determine the specific contribution of each transporter to listerial growth and survival. Food models were chosen to represent high-risk foods of plant and animal origin i.e. coleslaw and frankfurters, which have previously been linked to major human outbreaks of listeriosis. BALB/c mice were used as an in vivo model of infection. Interestingly, while betaine appeared to confer most protection in foods, the hierarchy of transporter importance differs depending on the food type: Gbu>BetL>OpuC for coleslaw, as opposed to Gbu>OpuC>BetL in frankfurters. By contrast in the animal model, OpuC and thus carnitine, appears to play the dominant role, with the remaining systems contributing little to the infection process. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that the individual contribution of each system appears dependent on the immediate environment. In foods Gbu appears to play the dominant role, while during infection OpuC is most important. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: It is envisaged that this information may ultimately facilitate the design of effective control measures specifically targeting this pathogen in foods and during infection.     

Models of T cell deficiency in listeriosis: the effects of cortisone and cyclosporin A on normal and nude BALB/c mice

It is often difficult to test the role of T lymphocytes in resistance to infection because most models of T cell deficiency are associated with altered nonspecific resistance. In an attempt to address this problem, we compared the effects of cyclosporin A (CyA), cortisone (CA), and the athymic state on the course of murine listeriosis. We chose listeriosis because resistance to Listeria monocytogenes occurs in two phases. Bacterial multiplication is controlled by nonspecific defense mechanisms in the early phase and by acquired T cell-dependent immunity in the second phase. Mice treated with CA died during the early phase, probably because of inhibition of the antimicrobial activity of nonimmune macrophages. Accordingly, the immunosuppressive effect of CA was similar in athymic and normal mice. Untreated nude mice developed chronic low grade infection, probably because of heightened activity of nonimmune macrophages. In contrast, immunosuppression with CyA did not affect early resistance but induced overwhelming, fatal disease in the later phase when control mice began to acquire resistance. CyA did not change the course of listeriosis in nude mice, confirming its specificity for T cell-dependent immunity. Thus, this study shows that CyA is a potent and specific inhibitor of T cell-mediated immunity and that T cell-dependent resistance is essential for survival from listeriosis, a conclusion that could not have been established by studies of the nude mouse or immunosuppression by CA.     

Influence of staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) on the course of murine listeriosis

Abstract Confrontation of the immune system with bacterial superantigens leads to an initial activation of the immune system followed by a state of profound immunosuppression. To investigate the role of a superantigen in an acute infection with a facultatively intracellular bacterium, we have studied the effect of staphylococcal enterotoxin B on the course of murine listeriosis. Intraperitoneal injection of SEB led to a statistically significant growth restriction of Listeria monocytogenes in the organs of mice infected intravenously or intraperitoneally when treatment with SEB and infection with L. monocytogenes were given simultaneously or when the mice were treated two days before infection. No effect of SEB on murine listeriosis was found when SEB was given more than two days before infection or one or more days after infection. We conclude that initial immunostimulation by SEB which is indicated by a massive liberation of all interleukins measured (IL1α, IL6, TNFα, IL2, IFNγ, IL4) is responsible for the growth restriction of L. monocytogenes in the organs of treated mice. Apoptosis of Vβ8 positive T cells which was accompanied by a 30% reduction of these cells at day 7 after treatment seems to be totally compensated.     

单增李斯特菌胎盘感染的体内外模型研究进展

单核细胞增生李斯特氏菌（Listeria monocytogenes）是重要的食源性致病菌,能引发人类的李斯特菌病,是全球公共卫生问题之一。该菌易感染孕妇,引起胎儿和新生儿的侵袭性李斯特菌病,严重威胁母婴健康。因此,建立有效的单增李斯特菌感染胎盘体内外模型,解析和探究单增李斯特菌经胎盘感染机制,是预防和控制单增李斯特菌感染母婴的关键所在。本文综述了可用于研究单增李斯特菌母婴感染的体内外胎盘模型,总结和讨论了各类模型的优势和局限性;并着重分析了体外三维胎盘屏障模型在单增李斯特菌感染方面的研究进展和未来研究方向。以期为深入解析该菌经胎盘感染的途径、发病机制提供支持,并为预防和控制母婴李斯特菌病提供科学参考。     

Species specificity of the Listeria monocytogenes InlB protein

InlA and InlB mediate L. monocytogenes entry into eukaryotic cells. InlA is required for the crossing of the intestinal and placental barriers. InlA uses E-cadherin as receptor in a species-specific manner. The human E-cadherin but not the mouse E-cadherin is a receptor for InlA. In human cells, InlB uses Met and gC1qR as receptors. By studying the role of InlB in vivo, we found that activation of Met by InlB is species-specific. In mice, InlB is important for liver and spleen colonization, but not for the crossing of the intestinal epithelium. Strikingly, the virulence of a DeltainlB deletion mutant is not attenuated in guinea pigs and rabbits. Guinea pig and rabbit cell lines do not respond to InlB, although expressing Met and gC1qR, but support InlB-mediated responses upon human Met gene transfection, indicating that InlB does not recognize or stimulate guinea pig and rabbit Met. In guinea pig cells, the effect of human Met gene transfection on InlB-dependent entry is increased upon cotransfection with human gc1qr gene, showing the additive roles of gC1qR and Met. These results unravel a second L. monocytogenes species specificity critical for understanding human listeriosis and emphasize the need for developing new animal models for studying InlA and InlB functions in the same animal model.     

单增李斯特菌感染胎盘相关毒力因子的研究进展

单核细胞增生李斯特氏菌(Listeria monocytogenes,LM)是一种可引起李斯特菌病的食源性致病菌。由于妊娠相关免疫缺陷和LM对非吞噬细胞独特的细胞内感染能力,孕妇是LM的主要目标人群。LM可穿过胎盘屏障,对胎儿造成重大伤害,包括早产、流产甚至死产。胎盘特异性毒力因子的作用对LM感染期间穿过胎盘屏障并感染胎儿尤为重要。文中介绍了国内外近年在孕妇中发生LM感染的事件,详细讨论了LM垂直传播以及在胎盘定殖机制方面的研究进展,着重讨论并分析了LM与感染胎盘相关毒力因子的最新发现,以期为今后防控LM的胎盘感染并保障食品安全提供参考。     

Listeriology (1926-2007): the rise of a model pathogen

Listeria monocytogenes is an ubiquitous gram positive bacterium responsible for a severe food borne disease in human and animals which has become a multifaceted model. Indeed, it is a facultative intracellular bacterium that induces an amazingly rapid and sterilizing T-cell response and has been--and still is--widely used by immunologists. Listeria's strategies to invade non-phagocytic cells and spread from cell to cell have been and still are outstandingly instrumental to address key questions in cell biology. Orally acquired listeriosis can now be studied in relevant animal models. Finally, Listeria is among the few bacteria which have so rapidly benefited from comparative genomics. It now ranks among the most documented pathogens.     

Mast cells initiate early anti-Listeria host defences

The Gram-positive bacterium Listeria monocytogenes ( L. m. ) is the aetiological agent of listeriosis. The early phase listeriosis is characterized by strong innate host responses that play a major role in bacterial clearance. This is emphasized by the fact that mice deficient in T and B cells have a remarkable ability to control infection. Mast cells, among the principal effectors of innate immunity, have largely been studied in the context of hyper-reactive conditions such as allergy and autoimmune diseases. In the present study, we evaluated the significance of mast cells during the early phase of listeriosis. Compared with controls, mice depleted of mast cells showed hundred-fold higher bacterial burden in spleen and liver and were significantly impaired in neutrophil mobilization. Although L. m. interacts with and triggers mast cell degranulation, bacteria were hardly found within such cells. Mainly neutrophils and macrophages phagozytosed L. m . Thus, mast cells control infection not via direct bacterial uptake, but by initiating neutrophils influx to the site of infection. We show that this is initiated by pre-synthesized TNF-α, rapidly secreted by mast cell upon activation by L. m . We also show that upon recruitment, neutrophils also become activated and additionally secrete TNF-α thus amplifying the anti- L. m. inflammatory response.     

PrimaryListeria monocytogenes infection in gestating mice

The facultative intracellular Gram-positive bacteriumListeria monocytogenes is a food-borne pathogen of frequently underestimated importance. Pregnant women represent the high-risk group forL. monocytogenes infection. Abortion, stillbirth or neonatal infection can be the serious outcome of such an infection. Recovery from listeriosis, resistance mechanisms of the host and the effect ofL. monocytogenes on fetal development still remain to be fully understood. The results of our experiments showed an increased susceptibility of gestating BALB/c mice to primaryL. monocytogenes infection. The duration of listeriosis in gestating animals was almost twice longer than in the control group. Furthermore, it was clearly shown that the detrimental effect ofL. monocytogenes on fetal development was more pronounced if the infection was acquired earlier during gestation.     

Reduced apoptosis and ameliorated listeriosis in TRAIL-null mice

Listeriosis is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes. Although it is well recognized that apoptosis plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of the disease, the molecular mechanisms of cell death in listeriosis remain to be established. We report in this study that mice deficient in TRAIL were partially resistant to primary listeriosis, and blocking TRAIL with a soluble death receptor 5 markedly ameliorated the disease. The numbers of Listeria in the liver and spleen of TRAIL+/+ mice were 10-100 times greater than those in TRAIL-/- mice following primary Listeria infection. This was accompanied by a significant increase in the survival rate of TRAIL-/- mice. Lymphoid and myeloid cell death was significantly inhibited in TRAIL-/- mice, which led to marked enlargement of the spleen. These results establish a critical role for TRAIL in apoptosis during listeriosis.     

Listeria monocytogenes internalin and E-cadherin: from structure to pathogenesis

Many bacterial pathogens that invade non-phagocytic cells first interact with host cell surface receptors. Adhesion to the host cell is followed by the activation of specific host signalling pathways that mediate bacterial internalization. The food-borne Gram-positive bacterium Listeria monocytogenes makes use of two surface proteins, internalin (InlA) and InlB to engage in a species-specific manner the adhesion molecule E-cadherin and the hepatocyte growth factor receptor Met, respectively, to induce its internalization. After entry, Listeria has the capacity to spread from cell to cell and disseminate to its target organs after breaching the intestinal, blood–brain and placental barriers in human. InlA but not InlB is critical for the crossing of the intestinal barrier, whereas the conjugated action of both InlA and InlB mediates the crossing of the placental barrier. Here we review the InlA–E-cadherin interaction, the signalling downstream of this interaction, the molecular mechanisms involved in bacterial internalization and the role of InlA–E-cadherin interaction in the breaching of host barriers and the progression to listeriosis. Together, this review illustrates how in vitro data were validated by epidemiological approaches and in vivo studies using both natural hosts and genetically engineered animal models, thereby elucidating key issues of listeriosis pathophysiology.     

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.     

Molecular typing by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis of Spanish animal and human Listeria monocytogenes isolates.

A total of 153 strains of Listeria monocytogenes isolated from different sources (72 from sheep, 12 from cattle, 18 from feedstuffs, and 51 from humans) in Spain from 1989 to 2000 were characterized by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. The strains of L. monocytogenes displayed 55 pulsotypes. The 84 animal, 51 human, and 18 feedstuff strains displayed 31, 29, and 7 different pulsotypes, respectively, indicating a great genetic diversity among the Spanish L. monocytogenes isolates studied. L. monocytogenes isolates from clinical samples and feedstuffs consumed by the diseased animals were analyzed in 21 flocks. In most cases, clinical strains from different animals of the same flock had identical pulsotypes, confirming the existence of a listeriosis outbreak. L. monocytogenes strains with pulsotypes identical to those of clinical strains were isolated from silage, potatoes, and maize stalks. This is the first study wherein potatoes and maize stalks are epidemiologically linked with clinical listeriosis.