Neurolisteriosis

Neurolisteriosis is a frequently fatal complication of invasive infection with Listeria monocytogenes, a Gram-positive opportunistic pathogen. This disease occurs primarily in humans and farm animals (sheep, goats, and cattle) and is characterized by severe inflammation of the brain and meninges (meningoencephalitis). In ruminants, and occasionally in humans, neurolisteriosis manifests as a distinctive form of brainstem infection (rhombencephalitis).

Our research focuses on the complex interactions between Listeria monocytogenes and the host, with particular interest in how this remarkably adaptable bacterium invades, propagates, and persists within the central nervous system. By integrating approaches from neuropathology, immunology, and infection biology, we investigate how Listeria manipulates neurons, microglia, macrophages, and neutrophils; how distinct intracellular niches shape bacterial persistence; and how the immune response influences disease outcome.

Our recent findings reveal that the intracellular life cycle of L. monocytogenes depends on the origin of the infected phagocyte, uncovering novel mechanisms of bacterial survival and dissemination that exploit specific immune cells.

Beyond Listeria, our team pursues a broad and integrative research program in veterinary neuropathology and comparative neurology, encompassing spontaneous CNS diseases in animals and the development of Listeria-based vaccine platforms. We aim to bridge fundamental mechanisms of infection and neurobiology with diagnostic and therapeutic innovation, contributing to One Health through comparative pathology and our shared fascination with the complexity of host-pathogen interactions.