title: Ethanol ingestion increases susceptibility of mice to Listeria monocytogenes.
abstract: Excessive consumption of alcohol is associated with an increase in the frequency and severity of infectious diseases. Ethanol adversely affects specific and nonspecific aspects of the immune response. We used a murine model to determine whether ethanol ingestion impairs host mechanisms of resistance to Listeria monocytogenes. Naive mice and mice immune to L. monocytogenes were pair-fed either a Leiber-DeCarli liquid diet containing 7% (v/v) ethanol or an isocaloric control diet for 7 days. Then, nonimmune mice were given a sublethal dose of L. monocytogenes and studied 2 and 5 days after infection, and immune mice were challenged with a lethal dose of L. monocytogenes and studied 5 days after infection. Multifocal liver abscesses developed in nonimmune ethanol-treated and control mice 2 days after infection. Bacterial colony counts in the spleens were similar between the two groups; however, counts in the livers were slightly higher in ethanol-treated mice as compared with those in control mice. Five days after infection the nonimmune ethanol-treated mice had large necrotizing liver granulomas and organ bacterial colony counts 100 to 1000 times higher than those in control mice. Immune ethanol-treated mice had large areas of liver necrosis and inflammation containing numerous Gram-positive bacilli, whereas immune control mice had small, well-formed granulomas and much less necrosis. Organ bacterial colony counts were about 100 times higher in immune ethanol-treated mice as compared with those in immune control mice. Liver enzyme levels and mortality were significantly higher in ethanol-treated immune and nonimmune mice as compared with those in immune and nonimmune control mice. Data support the suggestion that ethanol consumption impairs the development and expression of T cell-mediated immunity of mice to L. monocytogenes, resulting in increased susceptibility to infection with this organism.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston.
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Saad
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Domiati-Saad
authors.forename: T R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Jerrells
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D000431:Ethanol / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D007108:Immune Tolerance / Q000276:immunology; D007110:Immunity, Active / Q000276:immunology; D007111:Immunity, Cellular / Q000276:immunology; D008089:Listeria monocytogenes / Q000276:immunology*; D008088:Listeriosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D008099:Liver / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL
chemical_list: D000431:Ethanol