Experimental Validation of Low Virulence in Field Strains of Listeria Monocytogenes

Overview

Journal Infect Immun

Publisher American Society for Microbiology

Specialty Allergy & Immunology

Date 2003 May 23

PMID 12761127

Citations 17

Authors

S M Roche

P Gracieux

I Albert

M Gouali

C Jacquet

P M V Martin

P Velge

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Several reports have described Listeria monocytogenes strains which were nonpathogenic or weakly pathogenic, but little is known about these low-virulence strains. We found that 9 field L. monocytogenes strains were hypovirulent and 17 were avirulent, based on the number of mice contaminated and the colonization of their spleens after subcutaneous inoculation. All these strains possessed the known virulence genes. We have now assessed the low virulence of these strains in other assays before determining how they differ from virulent strains. We have shown that the low-virulence strains exhibited a phenotypic stability and were not a mixture of virulent and avirulent bacteria. They did not recover virulence after many passages in mice and colonized the spleens of mice more poorly than virulent strains after i.v. inoculation. Their lethal capacities, determined by 50% lethal dose (LD(50)), were lower than those of virulent strains. Like Listeria innocua, 14 of 17 avirulent strains had no LD(50) and were eliminated by the lymph nodes after subcutaneous inoculation. The virulent, hypovirulent, and avirulent strains were always significantly different, whatever the tests of virulence used, confirming the importance of these low-virulence field strains in identifying the proteins involved in virulence.

Citing Articles

Serotype-identifying ions in using matrix-associated laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry.

Abdelhamed H, Nho S, Kim S, Reddy J, Park S, Jung T Heliyon. 2022; 8(12):e11769.

PMID: 36466572 PMC: 9712130. DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e11769.

Nonhemolytic -Prevalence Rate, Reasons Underlying Atypical Phenotype, and Methods for Accurate Hemolysis Assessment.

Kawacka I, Olejnik-Schmidt A, Schmidt M Microorganisms. 2022; 10(2).

PMID: 35208937 PMC: 8874635. DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10020483.

Antilisterial efficacy of Lactobacillus brevis MF179529 from cow: an in vivo evidence.

Riaz A, Noureen S, Liqat I, Arshad M, Arshad N BMC Complement Altern Med. 2019; 19(1):37.

PMID: 30709347 PMC: 6359795. DOI: 10.1186/s12906-019-2444-5.

Virulence Gene Sequencing Highlights Similarities and Differences in Sequences in Serotype 1/2a and 4b Strains of Clinical and Food Origin From 3 Different Geographic Locations.

Poimenidou S, Dalmasso M, Papadimitriou K, Fox E, Skandamis P, Jordan K Front Microbiol. 2018; 9:1103.

PMID: 29922249 PMC: 5996115. DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.01103.

Small molecules targeting LapB protein prevent Listeria attachment to catfish muscle.

Akgul A, Al-Janabi N, Das B, Lawrence M, Karsi A PLoS One. 2017; 12(12):e0189809.

PMID: 29253892 PMC: 5734760. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0189809.

References

Norrung B, Andersen J . Variations in virulence between different electrophoretic types of Listeria monocytogenes. Lett Appl Microbiol. 2000; 30(3):228-32. DOI: 10.1046/j.1472-765x.2000.00704.x. View

Waseem M, Vahidy R, Khan M . Correlation between production of listeriolysin O by variants of Listeria monocytogenes and their virulence for rabbits. Zentralbl Bakteriol. 1995; 282(4):384-8. DOI: 10.1016/s0934-8840(11)80708-5. View

Lecuit M, Vandormael-Pournin S, Lefort J, Huerre M, Gounon P, Dupuy C . A transgenic model for listeriosis: role of internalin in crossing the intestinal barrier. Science. 2001; 292(5522):1722-5. DOI: 10.1126/science.1059852. View

Roche S, Velge P, Bottreau E, Durier C, Marquet-Van Der Mee N, Pardon P . Assessment of the virulence of Listeria monocytogenes: agreement between a plaque-forming assay with HT-29 cells and infection of immunocompetent mice. Int J Food Microbiol. 2001; 68(1-2):33-44. DOI: 10.1016/s0168-1605(01)00460-3. View

Wing E, Gregory S . Listeria monocytogenes: clinical and experimental update. J Infect Dis. 2002; 185 Suppl 1:S18-24. DOI: 10.1086/338465. View

Angelakopoulos H, Loock K, Sisul D, Jensen E, Miller J, Hohmann E . Safety and shedding of an attenuated strain of Listeria monocytogenes with a deletion of actA/plcB in adult volunteers: a dose escalation study of oral inoculation. Infect Immun. 2002; 70(7):3592-601. PMC: 128066. DOI: 10.1128/IAI.70.7.3592-3601.2002. View

Gracieux P, Roche S, Pardon P, Velge P . Hypovirulent Listeria monocytogenes strains are less frequently recovered than virulent strains on PALCAM and Rapid' L. mono media. Int J Food Microbiol. 2003; 83(2):133-45. DOI: 10.1016/s0168-1605(02)00321-5. View

von Koenig C, HEYMER B, Hof H, Finger H . Course of infection and development of immunity in experimental infection of mice with Listeria serotypes. Infect Immun. 1983; 40(3):1170-7. PMC: 348173. DOI: 10.1128/iai.40.3.1170-1177.1983. View

Stelma Jr G, Reyes A, Peeler J, Francis D, Hunt J, Spaulding P . Pathogenicity test for Listeria monocytogenes using immunocompromised mice. J Clin Microbiol. 1987; 25(11):2085-9. PMC: 269416. DOI: 10.1128/jcm.25.11.2085-2089.1987. View

10.

Pine L, Weaver R, Carlone G, Pienta P, Rocourt J, Goebel W . Listeria monocytogenes ATCC 35152 and NCTC 7973 contain a nonhemolytic, nonvirulent variant. J Clin Microbiol. 1987; 25(11):2247-51. PMC: 269458. DOI: 10.1128/jcm.25.11.2247-2251.1987. View

11.

Tabouret M, De Rycke J, Audurier A, Poutrel B . Pathogenicity of Listeria monocytogenes isolates in immunocompromised mice in relation to listeriolysin production. J Med Microbiol. 1991; 34(1):13-8. DOI: 10.1099/00222615-34-1-13. View

12.

Pine L, Kathariou S, Quinn F, George V, Wenger J, Weaver R . Cytopathogenic effects in enterocytelike Caco-2 cells differentiate virulent from avirulent Listeria strains. J Clin Microbiol. 1991; 29(5):990-6. PMC: 269921. DOI: 10.1128/jcm.29.5.990-996.1991. View

13.

Conlan J, NORTH R . Neutrophil-mediated dissolution of infected host cells as a defense strategy against a facultative intracellular bacterium. J Exp Med. 1991; 174(3):741-4. PMC: 2118949. DOI: 10.1084/jem.174.3.741. View

14.

Bhunia A, Steele P, Westbrook D, Bly L, Maloney T, Johnson M . A six-hour in vitro virulence assay for Listeria monocytogenes using myeloma and hybridoma cells from murine and human sources. Microb Pathog. 1994; 16(2):99-110. DOI: 10.1006/mpat.1994.1011. View

15.

Wiedmann M, Bruce J, Keating C, Johnson A, McDonough P, Batt C . Ribotypes and virulence gene polymorphisms suggest three distinct Listeria monocytogenes lineages with differences in pathogenic potential. Infect Immun. 1997; 65(7):2707-16. PMC: 175382. DOI: 10.1128/iai.65.7.2707-2716.1997. View

16.

Rocourt J, Jacquet C, Reilly A . Epidemiology of human listeriosis and seafoods. Int J Food Microbiol. 2001; 62(3):197-209. DOI: 10.1016/s0168-1605(00)00336-6. View