title: Exploring the chicken embryo as a possible model for studying Listeria monocytogenes pathogenicity.
abstract: Listeria monocytogenes is a bacterial pathogen capable of causing severe infections in humans, often with fatal outcomes. Many different animal models exist to study L. monocytogenes pathogenicity, and we have investigated the chicken embryo as an infection model: What are the benefits and possible drawbacks? We have compared a defined wild-type strain with its isogenic strains lacking well-characterized virulence factors. Our results show that wild-type L. monocytogenes, already at a relatively low infection dose (~5 × 10(2) cfu), caused death of the chicken embryo within 36 h, in contrast to strains lacking the main transcriptional activator of virulence, PrfA, or the cytolysin LLO. Surprisingly, strains lacking the major adhesins InlA and InlB caused similar mortality as the wild-type strain. In conclusion, our results suggest that the chicken embryo is a practical model to study L. monocytogenes infections, especially when analyzing alternative virulence pathways independent of the InlA and InlB adhesins. However, the route of infection might be different from a human infection. The chicken embryo model and other Listeria infection models are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University Umeå, Sweden ; Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden, Umeå University Umeå, Sweden ; Umeå Centre for Microbial Research, Umeå University Umeå, Sweden.
authors.forename: Jonas
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gripenland
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University Umeå, Sweden ; Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden, Umeå University Umeå, Sweden ; Umeå Centre for Microbial Research, Umeå University Umeå, Sweden.
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Andersson
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology, Umeå University Umeå, Sweden ; Laboratory for Molecular Infection Medicine Sweden, Umeå University Umeå, Sweden ; Umeå Centre for Microbial Research, Umeå University Umeå, Sweden.
authors.forename: Jörgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Johansson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002642:Chick Embryo; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D006801:Humans; D008089:Listeria monocytogenes / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D008088:Listeriosis / Q000382:microbiology*; D014774:Virulence; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D037521:Virulence Factors
keywords: InlB; LLO; Listeria monocytogenes; PrfA; chicken embryo; virulence: InlA