Cardiotropic Isolates of Listeria monocytogenes with Enhanced Vertical Transmission Dependent upon the Bacterial Surface Protein InlB
Nicole Lamond, Phillip McMullen, Dhanendra Paramasvaran, Lavanya Visvahabrathy, Samuel J. Eallonardo, Akhil Maheswhari, Nancy E. Freitag
Abstract
Listeria monocytogenes is a facultative Gram-positive intracellular bacterium that is capable of causing serious invasive infections in pregnant women, resulting in abortion, still-birth, and disseminated fetal infection. Previously, a clinical L. monocytogenes isolate, 07PF0776, was identified as having an enhanced ability to target cardiac tissue. This tissue tropism appeared to correlate with amino acid variations found within internalin B (InlB), a bacterial surface protein associated with host cell invasion.
Topics & Concepts
Listeria monocytogenesBiologyMicrobiologyIntracellular parasiteTissue tropismBacteriaTropismListeriaIntracellularVirologyCell biologyGeneticsVirusListeria monocytogenes in Food SafetyMicrobial Inactivation MethodsSalmonella and Campylobacter epidemiology