Listeria Monocytogenes Flashcards

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1
Q

What is listeria?

A

Gram +ve rods, is a major food borne pathogen, endemic in animals so doesn’t cause epidemic

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2
Q

Where is listeria found?

A

In soil most places, only causes infection under certain circumstances

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3
Q

Why is it a good model intracellular parasite?

A
  • invasive
  • targets many host cells such as macrophages and non-professional phagocytes
  • carries out cytosolic replication
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4
Q

How do outbreaks occur?

A

Food associated with infection is spread across the country by food industry

Usually soft cheeses, salmon, sandwiches

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5
Q

Pathogenesis of listeria?

A
  • Forces entry and penetrates non-phagocytic cells
  • consequence of phagocytosis is formation of a phagosome - usually undergo maturation and fuse with lysosomes and contents get destroyed
  • listeria escapes from phagocytic vacuole and carries out cutosolic replication
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6
Q

How are listeriopods formed?

A

After cytosolic replication, F-actin rearranges to form tails with a bacterium at the tip

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7
Q

How does actin allow motility?

A

ActA is a surface protein of L.monocytogenes, and is a molecular mimic of the eukaryotic actin nucleation promoting factor WASP

Activates the actin polymerising function of the Arp2/3 complex

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