In vitro activity of naturally occurring peptides (defensins) against Listeria monocytogenes

Amostras de água destilada, autoclavadas, foram inoculadas com L. monocytogenes cepa V7 e cepa VPH-1, e incubadas, aerobicamente, a 30§C por 48 horas. Cada cepa foi testada individualmente, e determinou-se curvas de crescimento a 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 21, 24, e 48 horas. O crescimento ou sobrevivência das duas cepas foi semelhante e encontrou-se sobreviventes em 24 horas de incubaçäo. Examinou-se a atividade bactericida de um dos peptídeos catiônicos sintéticos (NP-2) contra L. monocytogenes cepa V7, em sistema aquoso. A atividade antibacteriana de NP-2 (1,5, and 10ug/ml) foi melhor aos 60 minutos de incubaçäo, com 10ug/ml de peptídeo, 30C

A resuscitation/selection system for rapid determination of Salmonella in foods.

A resuscitation medium was developed consisting of a trypticase soy broth base supplemented with 0.5% yeast extract, 0.25% sodium pyruvate, 0.01% sodium thioglycollate, and 0.1% chicken fat. After a resuscitation period of 4 h, the medium was made selective by addition of either sodium thiosulfate, bile salts and iodine, or sodium selenite and L-cystine. The now selective medium was incubated for 16 h. The presence or absence of Salmonella was determined by the Salmonella-Tek antibody-based detection kit. The present system was compared with a method of the Bacteriological Analytical Manual (BAM) for naturally contaminated foods. Nineteen egg products were screened; 3/19 were positive using the BAM method, 9/19 were positive using the present system. Seventeen chicken samples were assayed; 10/17 were positive using the BAM method; 13/17 were positive using the present system. Of 8 pepper samples, 4/8 were positive using the BAM method; 6/8 were positive using the present system. Of 8 spice samples, 6/8 were positive using the BAM method, 7/8 were positive using the present system. Of 6 onion products sampled, 5/6 were positive using the BAM method; 6/6 were positive using the present system.

Penicillin-binding proteins in Listeria monocytogenes.

The Penicillin-Binding Proteins (PBP) of Listeria monocytogenes 29-CCM-A: 454 (ATCC 15313) are described by the use of 125I-Penicillin X as radiotracer. The membranes of this tolerant bacilli contained at least five proteins with different affinities for the radiotracer or Dicloxacillin. The molecular weights of these proteins were estimated as 76, 74, 67, 66 and 47 KDa. Dicloxacillin induced the formation of straight filaments when present at sub-inhibitory concentrations, while Penicillin G did not induce any visible alteration in the morphology of this microorganism.

Haemolysins and extracellular enzymes of Listeria monocytogenes and L. ivanovii.

Of 120 laboratory-maintained strains of Listeria monocytogenes and two of L. ivanovii examined for haemolytic and lipolytic activity, 62 exhibited haemolytic activity alone, 20 of these showed haemolytic and lipolytic activity and 40 had neither activity. The L. ivanovii strains showed both activities. The results indicated a relationship between haemolysin production and lipolytic activity which was not explained by the serotype of the organism. In addition, the following hydrolytic activities were detected in the cell-free growth media of strains L. monocytogenes Boldy and L. ivanovii (formerly L. monocytogenes) Type 5 (substrates acted upon are given in parentheses): acid phosphate (4-nitrophenylphosphate, naphthyl phosphate, glycerophosphate, phosphorylcholine and GTP); neutral phosphatase (4-nitrophenylphosphate, naphthyl phosphate, phosphorylcholine, NADP and UDPG); phosphodiesterase (bis-4-nitrophenylphosphate, ATP and NADP); NADase (NAD); phospholipase C (4-nitrophenylphosphoryl-choline, phosphatidyl choline and ethanolamine, and sphingomyelin); and lipase and esterase (triacetin, tributyrin, triolein, naphthyl-laurate,-myristate,-caprylate,-palmitate and -oleate, 4-nitrophenyl-acetate-laurate and Tween 80). The preparations also showed weak catalase activity. No evidence was found for the presence of RNAase, DNAase, peptidase/amidase, phosphoamidase, alpha-amylase, glucosidase, galactosidase, pyranosidase or glucose aminidase.

Separation and properties of the haemolysins and extracellular enzymes of Listeria monocytogenes and L. ivanovii.

Desalted ammonium-sulphate (0-65%) precipitates from the cell-free supernates of 16-24-h cultures of Listeria monocytogenes Boldy and L. ivanovii (previously L. monocytogenes) Type 5 were eluted through Sephadex G-200. The enzyme activities gave rise to two main peaks. The first peak (approximate mol. wt of protein 150,000) contained only phosphatase activity (assayed by hydrolysis of 4-nitrophenylphosphate at pH 5.0 and 7.0). The second peak (approximate mol. wts of proteins 40,000-60,000) contained the haemolysin activity and the following hydrolytic activities (assay substrates are given in parentheses): phospholipase C (phosphatidyl choline and 4-nitrophenyl-phosphoryl-choline); phosphodiesterase (bis-4-nitrophenyl-phosphate); acid phosphatase (4-nitrophenylphosphatase); and esterases and lipases (4-nitrophenyl acetate, naphthyl-acetate and -oleate, triacetin and triolein). DEAE-Sephadex chromatography of appropriate fractions from the Sephadex G-200 purification step separated the first peak into two phosphatases and resolved the second peak into its constituent activities. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that the individual fractions from the DEAE-Sephadex step consisted of mixtures of protein. The effects of pH and potential activators and inhibitors on the active proteins purified by DEAE-Sephadex chromatography were examined.

[Isolation of macrophage-activating phospholipid from Listeria monocytogenes]. / Izolacja fosfolipidu Listeria monocytogenes aktywujacego makrofagi.

The aim of this study was isolate a factor, contained in phospholipid fraction of Listeria monocytogenes, responsible for macrophage activation. Lipids extracted from L. monocytogenes cells were subjected consecutively to fractionation on colons with silicic acid, Florisil and Sephadex LH-20. Separated fractions were assayed for their ability to activate macrophages as well as for their homogeneity by thin layer chromatography. Multistep fractionation procedure allowed to obtain the pure preparation of glycerophospholipid with a high ability for macrophage activation and capable to increase significantly anti-infections immunity in mice.

Physical and antigenic heterogeneity in the flagellins of Listeria monocytogenes and L. ivanovii.

Listeria monocytogenes serotypes 4a, 4b and 7, and L. ivanovii, all grown at 20 degrees C, were negatively stained and examined by electron microscopy. Crude extracts of the cell surface of L. monocytogenes serotypes 1/2b, 3b, 3c, 4a, 4b, 4d and 7 and of L. ivanovii (all grown at 20 degrees C) were examined by SDS-PAGE and Western blotting using (i) affinity-purified polyclonal monospecific antibody, and (ii) monoclonal antibody, each raised against 29 kDa flagellin of serotype 4b. No flagella were seen on serotype 7 by electron microscopy and no flagellin was detected in crude cell surface extracts of serotype 7 either in silver-stained gels or in Western blots. The monospecific polyclonal antibody detected flagellins of approximate molecular mass 29 kDa in each of the seven flagellate strains including L. ivanovii. The monoclonal antibody detected 29 kDa flagellin in serotypes 1/2b, 3b, 4a, 4b and 4d, but not the flagellins of serotype 3c or L. ivanovii, which had a slightly lower molecular mass. Following prolonged electrophoresis of crude flagellar extracts the 29 kDa complex was resolved into three closely migrating bands. In a heterologous system using serotype 1/2b crude flagellar extract, all three bands were detected using the polyclonal antibody whereas only two bands were detected by the monoclonal antibody. It is concluded that polyclonal anti-flagellin antibodies are not useful tools with which to distinguish serotypes of L. monocytogenes sensu lato in immunoblotting, but that differences can be determined using a monoclonal antibody directed against particular components of the flagellar complex. These differences did not fully correspond to those anticipated from results of agglutination tests.

[Extraction of chromosomal DNA from Staphylococcus and Listeria by a rapid method using achromopeptidase]. / Extraction de l'ADN chromosomique de Staphylococcus et de Listeria par une méthode rapide à l'achromopeptidase.

A rapid and simple method for preparation of chromosomal DNA from Gram-positive bacteria is reported. Susceptibility to lysis with Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate (SDS) increases when undergoing treatment with acetone before being digested by bacteriolytic enzymes. Rapid lysis of Staphylococcus and Listeria cells is obtained through a respective treatment by lysozyme with lysostaphine and by lysozyme with achromopeptidase, adding to that the effect of SDS in Tris-Hcl buffer. This procedure of preparing chromosomal DNA provides 1 to 4 mg of DNA out of 1 g of bacterial cells in a day.

Historical perspectives on methodology to detect Listeria monocytogenes.

While recognized as a causative agent of illness in animals and humans for some time, the foodborne role of Listeria monocytogenes is a new and emerging one. This review briefly summarizes the historical developments in methodology used to detect the presence of L. monocytogenes. Although clinical procedures exist, these procedures do not consider isolation of Listeria from heavily contaminated environments. Federal agencies such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture have defined protocols for the isolation of Listeria from dairy and meat products, respectively. Each of these protocols, and current problems common to all methods for the isolation of Listeria from food products, are discussed. Finally, future challenges with respect to improvement in our abilities to recognize, isolate, and rapidly identify Listeria in foods are presented.

Flow cytometry for automated analysis of milk containing Listeria monocytogenes.

This paper describes the application of flow cytometry to the analysis of milk for the presence of Listeria monocytogenes. A total of 939 raw milk samples from 54 farms were analyzed for the presence of L. monocytogenes by cold enrichment vs flow cytometry, which incorporated a selective enrichment step. Analyzed samples consisted of milk from individual farm bulk tanks; string samples which represented milk from 25 to 40 cows; and combination samples representing milk from 200 cows. Raw milk samples were directly enriched for 24 h at 37 degrees C and analyzed by flow cytometry following fluorescence labeling of bacterial populations, or were cold enriched for 1 month at 4 degrees C. Following cold enrichment, samples were streaked to McBride's Listeria agar, and suspect colonies were biochemically identified as L. monocytogenes. L. monocytogenes was isolated from only 15 of the analyzed samples, all of which were common to one farm. Results of flow cytometry analysis yielded a 5.86% false positive rate and a 0.53% false negative rate when compared with culture procedures.

Listeria methods development research at the Eastern Regional Research Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Listeria methods research at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Eastern Regional Research Center, has concentrated on 2 areas during the past year. The first was development of techniques for assessing isolation methods for their ability to detect sublethally stressed cells. It appears that a number of widely used media do not accurately detect Listeria that have been injured by thermal processing or acidification. The second was development of improved plating media. One, modified Vogel-Johnson agar, shows promise; it is highly selective and quantitative, and eliminates the need to select colonies on the basis of a blue color when illuminated with reflected light.

Isolation and identification of Listeria monocytogenes in dairy products.

After an outbreak of listeriosis in Massachusetts in 1983, the ability of Listeria monocytogenes to survive in raw and pasteurized milk was investigated. An enrichment broth (EB) containing acriflavine, nalidixic acid, and cycloheximide was used to eliminate overgrowth of the culture by competing organisms, and a modification of McBride's agar (MMA) was used as the isolation medium. The culture was incubated 24 h at 30 degrees C. To isolate Listeria from soft cheese, the incubation period was lengthened to 1 week, and the EB culture was streaked to MMA at 1 and 7 days. Physical and biochemical patterns, the CAMP test, serological tests, and mouse pathogenicity studies were helpful in determining the identity of L. monocytogenes.

Identification and enumeration of beta-hemolytic Listeria monocytogenes in naturally contaminated dairy products.

A DNA probe was used to identify hemolytic Listeria monocytogenes in naturally contaminated dairy products: unpasteurized milk, ricotta cheese, and imported semisoft cheeses. Of 34 milk samples, 12 were suspected to contain hemolytic L. monocytogenes; 1 contained greater than 6000 viable organisms/g. The ricotta cheese, although temperature-abused, had a titer of 3.6 x 10(6) beta-hemolytic L. monocytogenes cells/g, whereas the semisoft cheeses reached a maximum of 5.6 x 10(6) cells/g. Pure cultures of L. monocytogenes isolated from both types of cheese were found positive by the CAMP test and the DNA probe.

Industry perspectives on Listeria monocytogenes.

Industry concerns and our ongoing research on Listeria are discussed in this report. Topics include sampling for analysis; sanitizers and their use in manufacturing facilities; precautions on use of the FDA method for Listeria; use of the Vitek Gram Positive Identification Card; and a brief discussion on findings of Listeria in environmental samples taken from the same site at the same time of year in 1986 and 1987.

Purification, characterization, and toxicity of the sulfhydryl-activated hemolysin listeriolysin O from Listeria monocytogenes.

We purified and characterized an extracellular hemolysin produced by Listeria monocytogenes. Hemolysin production was greatly enhanced by growing bacteria in resin (Chelex)-treated medium. This hemolysin was separated as a homogeneous protein of 60,000 daltons by using thiol-disulfide exchange affinity chromatography. This protein was a sulfhydryl-activated toxin, termed listeriolysin O, which shared the classical properties of other bacterial sulfhydryl-activated toxins: inhibition by very low amounts of cholesterol; activation by reducing agents and suppression of the lytic activity by oxidation; antigenic cross-reactivity with streptolysin O. However, listeriolysin O differed remarkably from the other sulfhydryl-activated toxins in that its cytolytic activity towards erythrocytes from various animal species was maximum at low pH (approximately 5.5) and was undetectable at pH 7.0. This suggests that the lytic activity of the toxin in host tissues might be better expressed in the acidic microenvironment, including macrophage phagosomes where bacteria presumably replicate. Listeriolysin O was lethal to mice (50% lethal dose of ca. 0.8 microgram) and induced a rapid inflammatory reaction when injected intradermally. These results favor the view that listeriolysin O might play a major role during intracellular replication of L. monocytogenes, ultimately promoting death of infected macrophages.

The antigenic and mitogenic response of murine T and B lymphocytes to soluble proteins of Listeria monocytogenes.

Solubilized constituents from Listeria monocytogenes were fractionated by various techniques including isopycnic gradient centrifugation, molecular sieve chromatography, and preparative SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Fractionated material was tested in vitro for mitogenic and antigenic activity by quantitating the proliferation of splenic lymphocytes and the interleukin production by peritoneal T cells. Fractionation by isopycnic gradient centrifugation revealed both antigenic and mitogenic material fractionating with the protein at a density of 1.3 g/ml. This characteristic density, together with the reduction of activity with trypsin treatment, defined the material as protein. This material was termed soluble listerial proteins (SLP). Fractionation of SLP by molecular sieve chromatography using Sephacryl 200 (S-200) revealed predominant antigenic and mitogenic activity in proteins of greater than 100,000 m.w. In contrast, fractionation of SLP by preparative SDS-PAGE (nonreducing conditions) showed activity in groups of proteins with m.w. of less than 76,000. This difference (S-200 vs SDS-PAGE) may indicate an aggregation or subunit composition which is disrupted by SDS. When fractionated by SDS-PAGE, antigens which induced macrophage-dependent interleukin production by Listeria-immune T cells were observed over a broad range of molecular sizes. Major groups of antigenic proteins were observed at 57,000 to 76,000 m.w., approximately 40,000 and less than 25,000 m.w. Mitogenic activity (spleen cell proliferation) was associated with a more restricted group of proteins with major peaks at 57,000 and 40,000 m.w., with some weak activity in proteins less than 20,000 and greater than 64,000 m.w. Experiments involving T or B lymphocyte-depleted spleen cells and spleen cells from athymic mice revealed that the mitogenic response of splenic lymphocytes to SLP was predominantly B cell-mediated. Thus, we have defined groups of listerial proteins with potent antigenic activity with respect to T lymphocyte activation and as mitogenic activity for B cells.

Structural studies on lipoteichoic acids from four Listeria strains.

The lipoteichoic acids were isolated from phenol extracts of four Listeria strains representing serotypes 4a, 4b, 6a, and 6 to compare the differences in structure of amphiphilic polysaccharides from various serotypes of Listeria spp. The lipoteichoic acids from the four strains examined had the same structure in both hydrophilic chains and lipid portions. On the basis of the results of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and Smith degradation, the hydrophilic chains were shown to be 1,3-linked poly(glycerol phosphate) in which some of the glycerol residues had alpha-galactosyl substituents. The lipid portions were released by treatment with 46% hydrogen fluoride or 98% acetic acid. They were determined to be 3(1)-(2'-O-alpha-D-galactopyranosyl-alpha-D-glucopyranosyl)-1(3), 2-diacylglycerol and 3(1)-[6'-phosphatidyl-2'-O-(alpha-D-galactopyranosyl)-alpha- D-glucopyranosyl]-1(3),2-diacylglycerol. The degrees of glycosyl substitution and proportions of the two lipids varied to some extent among these four strains.

Structural studies on teichoic acids in cell walls of several serotypes of Listeria monocytogenes.

Structural studies were carried out on the teichoic acids in cell walls of Listeria monocytogenes serotypes 3a, 4b, 4f, 6, and 7. The structure of the dephosphorylated repeating units, obtained by treatment with 46% hydrogen fluoride or alkaline hydrolysis, was examined by methylation analysis, acetolysis, and 1H-NMR spectroscopy. The results of Smith degradation of the teichoic acids and 13C-NMR spectroscopy led to the following most likely structures of the repeating units of the teichoic acids:----1-[N-acetylglucosaminyl(alpha 1----4)]ribitol-5-phosphate----for serotype 3a,----4-[galactosyl(alpha 1----6)][glucosyl(beta 1----3)]N -acetylglucosaminyl(beta 1----2)ribitol-5-phosphate----for serotype 4b,----4-[galactosyl(alpha 1----6)][N -acetylglucosaminyl(alpha 1----3)]N-acetylglucosaminyl(beta 1----2)ribitol -5-phosphate----for serotype 4f,----4-N-acetylglucosaminyl(beta 1----4)ribitol -5-phosphate----for serotype 6, and----1-ribitol-5-phosphate----for serotype 7. About 40% of the repeating units of the teichoic acid from serotype 4f were not substituted at C-3 of beta-N-acetylglucosaminyl residues.

Structural study on teichoic acids of Listeria monocytogenes types 4a and 4d.

The chemical compositions of the cell walls obtained from 10 strains (serotypes 1a, 3a, 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4e, 4e, 4f, 6, and 7) of Listeria monocytogenes were analyzed. These cell walls were shown to be mainly composed of peptidoglycan and ribitol teichoic acids. Considerable variations in the composition of neutral sugars were observed among these cell walls. Chemical and NMR analyses indicated that the teichoic acids from L. monocytogenes serotypes 4a and 4d are composed of the following repeating units: Formula: See Text.

Characterization of a novel linkage unit between ribitol teichoic acid and peptidoglycan in Listeria monocytogenes cell walls.

The structure of the linkage unit between ribitol teichoic acid and peptidoglycan in the cell walls of Listeria monocytogenes EGD was studied. A teichoic-acid--glycopeptide preparation isolated from lysozyme digests of the cell walls of this strain contained mannosamine, glycerol, glucose and muramic acid 6-phosphate in an approximate molar ratio of 1:1:2:1, together with large amounts of glucosamine and other components of teichoic acid and glycopeptides. A teichoic-acid-linked sugar preparation, obtained by heating the cell walls at pH 2.5, also contained glucosamine, mannosamine, glycerol and glucose in an approximate molar ratio of 25:1:1:2. Part of the glucosamine residues were shown to be involved in the linkage unit. Thus, on mild alkaline hydrolysis, the teichoic-acid-linked sugar preparation gave a disaccharide characterized as N-acetylmannosaminyl(beta 1----4)-N-acetylglucosamine [ManNAc(beta 1----4)GlcNAc] in addition to the ribitol teichoic acid moiety, whereas the teichoic-acid - glycopeptide was separated into disaccharide-linked glycopeptide and the ribitol teichoic acid moiety by the same procedure. Furthermore, Smith degradation of the cell walls gave a characteristic fragment, EtO2-P-Glc(beta 1----3)Glc(beta 1----1/3)Gro-P-ManNAc(beta 1----4)GlcNAc (where EtO2 = 1,2-ethylenediol and Gro = glycerol). The results lead to the conclusion that in the cell walls of this organism, the ribitol teichoic acid chain is linked to peptidoglycan through a novel linkage unit, Glc(beta 1----3)Glc(beta 1----1/3)Gro-P-(3/4)ManNAc-(beta 1----4)GlcNAc.