Listeria
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 Scanning electron micrograph of Listeria monocytogenes.
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Listeria monocytogenes |
Listeria is a bacterial genus containing six species. Named in honour of Joseph Lister, Listeria species are Gram positive bacilli and are typified by L. monocytogenes, the causative agent of Listeriosis.
L. ivanovii is a pathogen of ruminants, and can infect mice in the laboratory, although it is only rarely the cause of human disease.
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[edit] Pathogenesis
Listeria uses the cellular machinery to move around inside the host cell: it induces directed polymerisation of actin by the ActA transmembrane protein, thus pushing the bacterial cell around.
Listeria monocytogenes for example, encodes virulence genes which are thermoregulated. The expression of virulence factor is optimal at 37 degrees Celsius and is controlled by a transcriptional activator,PrfA,whose expression is thermoregulated. At low temperatures, the PrfA transcript is not translated due to structural elements near the ribosome binding site. As the bacteria infects the host, the temperature of the host melts the structure and allows translation initiation for the virulent genes.
[edit] Epidemiology
The Center for Science in the Public Interest has published a list of foods that have sometimes caused outbreaks of Listeria: hot dogs, deli meats, raw milk, cheeses (particularly soft-ripened cheeses like feta, Brie, Camembert, blue-veined, or Mexican-style “queso blanco”), raw and cooked poultry, raw meats, ice cream, raw vegetables, raw and smoked fish.<ref>Center for Science in the Public Interest Nutrition Action Healthletter - Food Safety Guide - Meet the Bugs</ref>
[edit] Treatment
Antibiotics effective against Listeria species include vancomycin, ciprofloxacin, linezolid, azithromycin, and cotrimoxazole.
[edit] Future treatment options
Intralytix has created a virus spray with bacteriophages to be applied to food for the prevention of Listeriosis by killing six strains of L. monocytogenes bacterium.[1][2]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
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[edit] External links
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