HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (Papers in Press[PDF]) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via CrossRef Google Scholar Articles by Akya, A. Articles by Thomas, C. PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Akya, A. Articles by Thomas, C. Agricola Articles by Akya, A. Articles by Thomas, C.

Listeria monocytogenes does not survive ingestion by Acanthamoeba polyphaga

¹ Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran;
² South Australian Research and Development Institute, Glenside, South Australia;
³ School of Molecular and Biomedical Science, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, A

Listeria monocytogenes is a ubiquitous bacterium capable of infecting humans including pregnant women and immuno-compromised individuals. Although, the intracellular invasion and pathogenesis of listeriosis in mammalian tissues has been well studied, little is known about the ecology of L. monocytogenes and in particular, the environmental reservoir for this bacterium has not been identified. This study used short-term co-culture at 15, 22 and 37 °C to examine the interaction L. monocytogenes strains with Acanthamoeba polyphaga (ACO12). Survival of L. monocytogenes cells phagocytosed by monolayers of trophozoites was assessed by culture techniques and microscopy. A. polyphaga trophozoites eliminated bacterial cells within few hours post phagocytosis irrespective of the incubation temperature used. Wild-type L. monocytogenes and phenotypic listeriolysin O mutants were unable to either multiply or survive within trophozoites. By contrast, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium C5 cells used as controls were able to survive and multiply within A. polyphaga trophozoites. For A. polyphaga ACO12 the data presented indicated that this amoeba is unlikely to harbour L. monocytogenes, or act as an environmental reservoir for this bacterium.

⁴ E-mail: akya359{at}yahoo.com