Neurolisteriosis is a frequently fatal complication of invasive infection with the opportunistic pathogen Listeria monocytogenes , a Gram+ bacterium. Neurolisteriosis occurs primarily in humans and farm animals (sheep, goats, cows) and is associated with massive inflammation (meningoencephalitis). Farm animals suffer a peculiar form of neurolisteriosis that hits the brainstem (rhombencephalitis) and occurs also in humans. We strive to understand the pathomechanisms that promote neuroinvasion and intra-encephalic propagation of Listeria monocytogenes with the aim to identify new therapeutic targets to treat neurolisteriosis.
Currently we are investigating the fate of Listeria monocytogenes in various bovine phagocyte populations that infiltrate the brain during neurolisteriosis. Our data suggest that the intracellular life cycle of Listeria monocytogenes is dependent on the phagocyte origin and that the intracellular pathogen is able to prey on certain phagocytes.
Transcriptome of microglia reveals a species-specific expression profile in bovines with conserved and new signature genes. Tavares-Gomes L, Monney C, Neuhaus G, Francisco D, Solis D, Summerfield A, Erny D, Jagannathan V, Oevermann A. Glia . 2021 Aug;69(8):1932-1949. doi : 10.1002/glia.24002.
Listeria monocytogenes sequence type 1 is predominant in ruminant rhombencephalitis. Dreyer M, Aguilar- Bultet L, Rupp S, Guldimann C, Stephan R, Schock A, Otter A, Schüpbach G, Brisse S, Lecuit M, Frey J, Oevermann A. Sci Rep. 2016 Nov 16;6:36419. doi : 10.1038/srep36419.
Bovine neutrophil chemotaxis to Listeria monocytogenes in neurolisteriosis depends on microglia-released rather than bacterial factors Stefano Bagatella, Neda Haghayegh Jahromi, Camille Monney, Margherita Polidori, Flavio Max Gall, Emma Marchionatti, Fabienne Serra, Rainer Riedel, Britta Engelhard, Anna Oevermann
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