Listeria Monocytogenes

(Listeriosis)
What is Listeriosis ?
a serious infection caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium
Listeria Monocytogenes, has recently been recognized as an important
public health problem.
WHO ARE AT RISK WITH LISTERIOSIS ?
persons of advanced age
pregnant women
new-borns
and adults with weakened immune systems
People who are taking immune-suppressing medication
persons without these risk factors can also rarely be affected

General characteristics
rod-shaped aerobic and motile gram positive
intracellular pathogen
invades the cytoplasm of living cells
It develops a distinctive rocket tail
push through the cytoplasm
these "rockets" push bacteria into neighboring cells, propagating the
infection

How Humans contact Listeriosis

dairy products, vegetables, fish and meat products.
unlike most other harmful bacteria, will grow slowly on
foods stored in a refrigerator.
spread by contact with an infected product or surface
hands or counter tops
during food preparation

Pathogenesis and Pathology

enters through the Gastro intestinal tract
cell wall surface protein called Interanalin
interacts with E CADHERIN and enters into
epithelial cells
produce Listeriolysin O ) membranedamaging toxin(
Spreads from cell to cell

Pathogene
sis

E-cadherin
Internalin

Forming filopods
Phagocytio
ss
By
macropha
ges
and
hepatocyt

Inducing actin
polymerization in
cytoplasm
Release from
phagolysosome

Phagocytos
is
into
epithelial
cells
Phagolysoso
me
formation
(acidic
condition)
Lysteriolysin
O
secretion

epithelial cells via the interactions of the surface proteins InlA and InlB with Ecadherin and the Met receptor, respectively. (2) On
internalization,L.monocytogenesis engulfed in a phagocytic vacuole.
(3)L.monocytogeneslyses vacuolar membranes by means of the toxin LLO.
(4)L.monocytogenesuses the protein ActA to harness the actin polymerization
machinery and facilitate its intracellular movement via the formation of so-called
actin comet tails. (5)L.monocytogenesexploits actin-based motility for direct
cell-to-cell spread to allow the dissemination of the infection to neighboring cells via
the formation of plasma membrane protrusions. (6) Once internalized by
neighboring cells,L.monocytogenesis confined in a double-membrane vacuole
from which it escapes to restart its life cycle.

Epidemiology
1-15% of healthy humans are asymptomatic intestinal
carriers
Infections and diseases
Most common in pregnant women,
Mild flu-like illness in 3rd trimester
can be transmitted to a newborn, via vaginal colonization or
placenta

May initiate abortion (miscarriage)

still birth

premature delivery
or infected newborn.
Septicemia and meningitis
between birth and third week of life
caused by serotype IV b and has a significant mortality
rate

Granulomatous skin lesions rare

Listeriosis In Adults
Bacteremia and Menigeoencephalitis
flu-like symptoms for about four days
occur most commonly in Immunosuppressed patients in whom Listeria is one of the more
common cause of Meningitis
Disease can be insidious to fulminant

Diagnosis
Diagnosis dependent on isolation of Organisms in
cultures obtained and direct microscopic examination

CSF, Blood, and other fluids

narrow zone of beta-hemolysis

Tumbling movement, Movement in 25

Treatment
Ampicillin
Erythromycin
Intravenous Trimethoprim Sulphmethoxazole
Cephalosporins and Fluroquinoles are not active against L.
monocytogens
A commination of Gentamycin and Ampicillin on clinical basis

Ideal way to prevent

Listeriosis
Completely cook all meats and eggs.
Carefully wash raw vegetables before eating.
Keep raw meat away from raw vegetables and prepared
foods. After cutting raw meat, wash the cutting board with
detergent before using it for vegetables.
Avoid drinking unpasteurized milk or foods made from such
milk.
Wash hands thoroughly after handling raw meat.
Follow the instructions on food labels. Observe food
expiration dates and storage conditions.

Life cycle of
Listeria

Listeria tumbling
motility