Sugar Modification of Wall Teichoic Acids Determines Serotype-Dependent Strong Biofilm Production in Listeria monocytogenes
Myungseo Park, Jinshil Kim, Liz Horn, Jisun S. Haan, Ali J. Strickland, Victoria Lappi, David Boxrud, Craig W. Hedberg, Sangryeol Ryu, Byeonghwa Jeon
Abstract
Biofilm formation on the surface of foods or food-processing facilities by L. monocytogenes is a serious food safety concern. Here, our data demonstrate that the level of biofilm production differs among serotypes 1/2a, 1/2b, and 4b depending on the temperature. Furthermore, sugar decoration of bacterial cell walls with l-rhamnose is responsible for strong biofilm production in serotypes 1/2a and 1/2b, commonly isolated from foods and listeriosis cases. The findings in this study improve our understanding of the association of biofilm production with phylogenetic lineage and serotype in L. monocytogenes.