Listeria monocytogenes Persistence in Food-Associated Environments: Epidemiology, Strain Characteristics, and Implications for Public Health

Ferreira, Vânia; Wiedmann, Martin; Teixeira, Paula; Stasiewicz, Matthew J.

doi:10.4315/0362-028x.jfp-13-150

Cited by 590 publications

(500 citation statements)

References 165 publications

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“…Infection usually occurs via contaminated food, in particular ready-to-eat varieties [2,3]. The success of Listeria monocytogenes as a food-borne pathogen is aided by its ability to survive and grow in extreme conditions found both in food-preparation environments and in the gastrointestinal tract e.g., at low temperatures (down to −0.4 • C), at high salt concentrations (up to 10% w/v NaCl), or in the presence of bile [4][5][6][7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Crystal Structure of the Substrate-Binding Domain from Listeria monocytogenes Bile-Resistance Determinant BilE

2016

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BilE has been reported as a bile resistance determinant that plays an important role in colonization of the gastrointestinal tract by Listeria monocytogenes, the causative agent of listeriosis. The mechanism(s) by which BilE mediates bile resistance are unknown. BilE shares significant sequence similarity with ATP-binding cassette (ABC) importers that contribute to virulence and stress responses by importing quaternary ammonium compounds that act as compatible solutes. Assays using related compounds have failed to demonstrate transport mediated by BilE. The putative substrate-binding domain (SBD) of BilE was expressed in isolation and the crystal structure solved at 1.5 Å. Although the overall fold is characteristic of SBDs, the binding site varies considerably relative to the well-characterized homologs ProX from Archaeoglobus fulgidus and OpuBC and OpuCC from Bacillus subtilis. This suggests that BilE may bind an as-yet unknown ligand. Elucidation of the natural substrate of BilE could reveal a novel bile resistance mechanism.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Crystal Structure of the Substrate-Binding Domain from Listeria monocytogenes Bile-Resistance Determinant BilE

2016

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“…are considered ubiquitous in the natural environment, and representatives of the genus, including L. monocytogenes, have been isolated from soil, surface waters, animal feeds, animal feces, sewage, food processing plants, and farm environments (5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11). In one New York study, L. seeligeri and L. welshimeri were dominant species in water and other environmental samples from pristine environments, while L. innocua and L. monocytogenes were associated with urban environments (8).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of the Prevalences and Diversities of Listeria Species and Listeria monocytogenes in an Urban and a Rural Agricultural Watershed

Stea

Purdue

Jamieson

et al. 2015

Appl Environ Microbiol

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bFoods and related processing environments are commonly contaminated with the pathogenic Listeria monocytogenes. To investigate potential environmental reservoirs of Listeria spp. and L. monocytogenes, surface water and point source pollution samples from an urban and a rural municipal water supply watershed in Nova Scotia, Canada, were examined over 18 months. Presumptive Listeria spp. were cultured from 72 and 35% of rural and urban water samples, respectively, with 24% of the positive samples containing two or three different Listeria spp. The L. innocua (56%) and L. welshimeri (43%) groups were predominant in the rural and urban watersheds, respectively. Analysis by the TaqMan assay showed a significantly (P < 0.05) higher prevalence of L. monocytogenes of 62% versus 17% by the culture-based method. Both methods revealed higher prevalences in the rural watershed and during the fall and winter seasons. Elevated Escherichia coli (>100 CFU/100 ml) levels were not associated with the pathogen regardless of the detection method. Isolation of Listeria spp. were associated with 70 times higher odds of isolating L. monocytogenes (odds ratio ‫؍‬ 70; P < 0.001). Serogroup IIa was predominant (67.7%) among the 285 L. monocytogenes isolates, followed by IVb (16.1%), IIb (15.8%), and IIc (0.4%). L. monocytogenes was detected in cow feces and raw sewage but not in septic tank samples. Pulsotyping of representative water (n ‫؍‬ 54) and local human (n ‫؍‬ 19) isolates suggested genetic similarities among some environmental and human L. monocytogenes isolates. In conclusion, temperate surface waters contain a diverse Listeria species population and could be a potential reservoir for L. monocytogenes, especially in rural agricultural watersheds. Listeria monocytogenes is a Gram-positive bacterium that is able to tolerate high salt concentrations, cold temperatures, and acid stress (1). Pathogenic Listeria species include L. monocytogenes and L. ivanovii (2), while 13 nonpathogenic species exist: L. cornellensis, L. grandensis, and L. riparia (3, 4).Listeria spp. are considered ubiquitous in the natural environment, and representatives of the genus, including L. monocytogenes, have been isolated from soil, surface waters, animal feeds, animal feces, sewage, food processing plants, and farm environments (5-11). In one New York study, L. seeligeri and L. welshimeri were dominant species in water and other environmental samples from pristine environments, while L. innocua and L. monocytogenes were associated with urban environments (8). Focusing on Listeria spp. diversity, Chapin et al. (12) reported finding Listeria spp. (excluding L. monocytogenes) in 22 and 51% of the surface water samples from pristine and produce growing areas, respectively, in New York. Linke et al. (11) detected Listeria spp. at similar levels (26%) in surface water samples from the pristine natural environment in different parts of Austria. As for the pathogenic L. monocytogenes in surface waters, recent culture-based studies have reported prevalence of 1...

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“…This aspect is significant, as it can affect the accuracy of food histories patients are able to provide, as well as the availability of food samples (77). L. monocytogenes also has the ability to persist in food processing for years, and persistent contamination has been liked to intermittent illnesses that can span years (78,79). Outbreaks that include few cases and occur years apart are difficult to link via epidemiological investigation, and PFGE offers little help, since mobile ge-netic elements, present in the L. monocytogenes accessory genome, change frequently and confound analysis through overdiscrimination (80).…”

Section: Monocytogenesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Navigating Microbiological Food Safety in the Era of Whole-Genome Sequencing

et al. 2016

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SUMMARYThe epidemiological investigation of a foodborne outbreak, including identification of related cases, source attribution, and development of intervention strategies, relies heavily on the ability to subtype the etiological agent at a high enough resolution to differentiate related from nonrelated cases. Historically, several different molecular subtyping methods have been used for this purpose; however, emerging techniques, such as single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based techniques, that use whole-genome sequencing (WGS) offer a resolution that was previously not possible. With WGS, unlike traditional subtyping methods that lack complete information, data can be used to elucidate phylogenetic relationships and disease-causing lineages can be tracked and monitored over time. The subtyping resolution and evolutionary context provided by WGS data allow investigators to connect related illnesses that would be missed by traditional techniques. The added advantage of data generated by WGS is that these data can also be used for secondary analyses, such as virulence gene detection, antibiotic resistance gene profiling, synteny comparisons, mobile genetic element identification, and geographic attribution. In addition, several software packages are now available to generatein silicoresults for traditional molecular subtyping methods from the whole-genome sequence, allowing for efficient comparison with historical databases. Metagenomic approaches using next-generation sequencing have also been successful in the detection of nonculturable foodborne pathogens. This review addresses state-of-the-art techniques in microbial WGS and analysis and then discusses how this technology can be used to help support food safety investigations. Retrospective outbreak investigations using WGS are presented to provide organism-specific examples of the benefits, and challenges, associated with WGS in comparison to traditional molecular subtyping techniques.

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Listeria monocytogenes Persistence in Food-Associated Environments: Epidemiology, Strain Characteristics, and Implications for Public Health

Cited by 590 publications

References 165 publications

Crystal Structure of the Substrate-Binding Domain from Listeria monocytogenes Bile-Resistance Determinant BilE

Crystal Structure of the Substrate-Binding Domain from Listeria monocytogenes Bile-Resistance Determinant BilE

Comparison of the Prevalences and Diversities of Listeria Species and Listeria monocytogenes in an Urban and a Rural Agricultural Watershed

Navigating Microbiological Food Safety in the Era of Whole-Genome Sequencing

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