title: Listeria monocytogenes serotypes 1/2c and 3c possess inlH.
abstract: To examine the serotype specificity of inlH, which encodes the virulence-associated surface protein InlH related to the intracellular survival of Listeria monocytogenes in mice, the presence of inlH in 337 L. monocytogenes strains, representing 11 different serotypes, was studied. A total of 106 strains representing 3 serotypes and 14 pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) types were positive for inlH by polymerase chain reaction. inlH was present in all 99 serotype 1/2c and 3 serotype 3c strains. Moreover, 4 out of 129 (3%) serotype 1/2a strains carried inlH. All 106 strains representing serotypes 1/2b, 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, and 7 and 125 out of 129 (97%) serotype 1/2a strains were inlH-negative. The coding sequences of the inlH genes of eight L. monocytogenes strains representing three serotypes and five PFGE types were identical. These results suggest that inlH is specifically present in serotype 1/2c, 3c, and a small fraction of 1/2a L. monocytogenes strains and exists as a single allele.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Hygiene and Environmental Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland. annukka.markkula@helsinki.fi
authors.forename: Annukka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Markkula
authors.forename: Miia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lindström
authors.forename: Hannu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Korkeala
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D008089:Listeria monocytogenes / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012703:Serotyping; D014774:Virulence
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; C549019:InlH protein, Listeria monocytogenes