Environmental Reservoir and Transmission into the Mammalian Host

Abstract

Abstract:The widespread presence of Listeria monocytogenes in various diverse environments, including those that are natural (i.e., nonagricultural), agricultural, and food-associated, suggests that these environments may serve as sources or reservoirs of L. monocytogenes that can be transmitted to various hosts, including humans. As the vast majority of human listeriosis infections are recognized to occur through consumption of contaminated foods, and as animal listeriosis infections also appear to be predominantly feed-borne, development of effective intervention strategies for reducing the incidence of listeriosis among susceptible human and animal populations requires elucidation of specific routes of L. monocytogenes transmission among different ecosystems and compartments within food and feed production systems. Current knowledge of L. monocytogenes ecology

Mathematical Modeling of the Transmission and Control of Foodborne Pathogens and Antimicrobial Resistance at Preharvest

“…In addition, foodborne pathogens often behave as commensals in the animal reservoirs, and therefore the animals are asymptomatically colonized. Foodborne pathogens can often survive and even grow in the farm environment (e.g., in water troughs and feedbunks) and in animal reservoirs other than farm animals (e.g., in pest and wildlife animals) (Lejeune et al, 2001;Oliver et al, 2007). As a consequence, there are multiple direct (e.g., fecal-oral and oral-oral) and indirect (e.g., through environment or mechanical vectors) routes of transmission.…”

A Listeria monocytogenes RNA Helicase Essential for Growth and Ribosomal Maturation at Low Temperatures Uses Its C Terminus for Appropriate Interaction with the Ribosome

“…As a soil bacterium, it can occasionally contaminate the food chain and thus can be found in nonpasteurized and ready-to-eat food (48). Listeria is a major concern for the food industry due to its ability to grow at very low temperatures, even below 0°C (32).…”

Listeria monocytogenesσBModulates PrfA-Mediated Virulence Factor Expression

“…Listeria monocytogenes is a food-borne pathogen capable of transitioning from saprotrophic survival in the environment (55) to intracellular infection in a wide range of hosts (21,65). While cellular L. monocytogenes infection and the systemic stages of listeriosis have been studied extensively (14,29,74), less attention has been directed to the preceding phases of the infection process (e.g., bacterial survival in foods and in the human gastrointestinal tract).…”