The role of the Listeria monocytogenes surfactome in biofilm formation

Abstract

Listeria monocytogenes is a highly pathogenic foodborne bacterium that is ubiquitous in the natural environment and capable of forming persistent biofilms in food processing environments. This species has a rich repertoire of surface structures that enable it to survive, adapt and persist in various environments and promote biofilm formation. We review current understanding and advances on how L. monocytogenes organizes its surface for biofilm formation on surfaces associated with food processing settings, because they may be an important target for development of novel antibiofilm compounds. A synthesis of the current knowledge on the role of Listeria surfactome, comprising peptidoglycan, teichoic acids and cell wall proteins, during biofilm formation on abiotic surfaces is provided. We consider indications gained from genome-wide studies and discuss surfactome structures with established mechanistic aspects in biofilm formation. Additionally, we look at the analogies to the species L. innocua, which is closely related to L. monocytogenes and often used as its model (surrogate) organism.

Antimicrobial Resistance and Virulence Characterization of Listeria monocytogenes Strains Isolated from Food and Food Processing Environments

“…The analysed genes were detected in all the tested strains derived from the food processing environment, while in the strains derived from food, the inlB gene was detected in almost all the strains ( n = 26; 96.3%), while the luxS and sigB genes were detected in 20 strains (74.1%). The presence of the inlB gene (internalin B encoding gene) is linked to the strain’s ability to adhere to abiotic surfaces [ 34 ]. This gene was identified in all L. monocytogenes strains isolated from food as well as from the environment [ 6 , 31 , 35 ].…”

The Alternative Sigma Factor SigL Influences Clostridioides difficile Toxin Production, Sporulation, and Cell Surface Properties

“…Altered surface properties can influence the ability to form biofilms; in C. difficile , this can impact pathogen persistence in the gut (Pantaléon et al, 2015 ; Fernández Ramírez et al, 2018 ; Chamarande et al, 2021 ; JaneŽ et al, 2021 ; Kumari and Kaur, 2021 ). Disruption of SigL had no discernable impact on the ability of BI-1 strains to form biofilms grown in liquid culture on polystyrene plates ( Figure 6A ).…”

Environmental persistence of Listeria monocytogenes and its implications in dairy processing plants

“…The attachment of planktonic bacterial cells to the abiotic surface commences the process of forming a biofilm, which is followed by their growth and development into microcolonies (Renier et al., 2011). Listeria monocytogenes can attach to many surfaces important to dairy facilities resiliently (Chowdhury, Anand, Kraus, 2022; Janež et al., 2021; Reis‐Teixeira et al., 2017; Silva & Martinis et al., 2013). Midelet and Carpentier (2002) simulated a meat processing environment by conditioning surfaces with exudates from meat and then contaminating them with different bacteria, including L. monocytogenes , to study the transfer of bacteria to beef.…”

“…The preceding examples in Section 3.4 above analyze the relationship between persistence and biofilm development in pure bacterial cultures (single‐species biofilm). Nevertheless, it is generally believed that bacteria living in nature are accompanied by other bacterial species, generating organized biofilms comprising multiple species (Janež et al., 2021; Liu et al., 2016). Hence, the pathogen will likely co‐exist with a variety of different species associated with dairy products and their spoilage, such as Klebsiella pneumoniae, Aeromonas hydrophila , Enterococcus faecalis , Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, Chryseobacterium oncorhynchi, C. ureilyticum, Staphylococcus hominis, Pseudomonas libanensis , and P. aeruginosa (Cherif‐Antar et al., 2016; Dzieciol et al., 2016; Fagerlund et al., 2017; Marouani‐Gadri et al., 2009; Rossi et al., 2016; Yuan et al., 2020) in multi‐species biofilm.…”