Rare Disease Day was first established in 2008 to raise awareness for those diseases that are overlooked. Globally, there are over 300 million people living with a rare disease. There are over 100 countries participating in Rare Disease Day.
Listeriosis is an intracellular Gram-positive bacterial infection and infectious disease most commonly caused by Listeria monocytogenes. This diverse species of bacteria is found in soil, water and unpasteurized milk, processed and prepared foods, and it is usually acquired via foodborne transmission. It can affect a wide range of hosts, from birds to mammals. Certain groups are at a higher risk for this rare disease namely expectant women, older adults and those with weakened immune systems. It can cross the intestinal barrier and cross the placental and blood-brain barrier. Listeriosis is typically treated with antibiotics but despite this strategy, it has a 20% mortality rate. Globally it can affect up to 10 people per million each year. The infection is invasive and it spreads from the intestines to the bloodstream and other body sites.
Once it reaches the gastrointestinal tract, it disrupts the phagosome membrane and enters the cell cytoplasm. It initiates an actin propulsion system by using actin from the host cells, attach to the cell surface, and punch through the cell surface forming a pseudopod. The pseudopod enters the cell via phagocytosis, a transient double-membrane forms around it, and the bacteria emerge. It can lead to bacteremia, neurolisteriosis and maternal-fetal listeriosis.
In vitro models of listeriosis are used in studying its pathology in cell culture systems. Using this pathogen as a model, host-pathogen interactions can be characterized. In vivo, it can also be used to study the interaction between a microbe, its host, and the microbiota. It is adapted to survive in infected hosts and switches from saprophytism to intracellular life in a very controlled way with a suite of genes and small RNAs involved in this transition. Tagged bacteria are also used to study within-host dynamics. Ex vivo models such as organoids can also be used to study the cell biology of infection in mammalian cells.
Our ReadyMade™ antimicrobial solutions can be used for listeriosis research into its pathology including the following: Ampicillin, Gentamicin, Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole, Erythromycin, and Vancomycin. We look forward to continue supporting your research projects with innovative solutions to complex problems.
References
Disson O and Lecuit M (2013) In vitro and in vivo models to study human listeriosis: Mind the gap. Microbes and Infection 14(14-15):971-980. Link.
Kammoun H et al (2022) Listeriosis, a model infection to study host-pathogen interactions in vivo. Curr. Opinion in Microbiol. 66:11-20. Link.
Rare Disease Day official website.