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Listeria monocytogenes Infection of the Brain
05:02

Listeria monocytogenes Infection of the Brain

Published on: October 2, 2018

Targeting of the central nervous system by Listeria monocytogenes

Olivier Disson1, Marc Lecuit

  • 1Microbes and Host Barriers Group, French National Reference Center and WHO Collaborating Center for Listeria, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France.

Virulence
|March 31, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) is a deadly bacterium causing CNS infections in humans and ruminants. Understanding its neural and hematogenous routes of infection is crucial for developing new treatments.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Neuroscience
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) is a significant cause of mortality due to central nervous system (CNS) infections in humans and ruminants.
  • Lm infection can lead to meningitis, meningoencephalitis, and rhombencephalitis, with distinct patterns observed in different species.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the mechanisms by which Lm accesses the CNS.
  • To differentiate between the neural and hematogenous routes of Lm CNS infection.
  • To highlight the need for improved animal models for studying human neurolisteriosis.

Main Methods:

  • Review of clinical, in vitro, and in vivo observations.
  • Analysis of proposed infection routes: retrograde neural and hematogenous.
  • Discussion of the implications for disease manifestation in ruminants versus humans.

Main Results:

  • Two primary routes of Lm CNS entry are proposed: a retrograde neural route in ruminants and a hematogenous route in humans.
  • The neural route, involving oral epithelium crossing, predominantly causes rhombencephalitis in ruminants.
  • The hematogenous route, via blood circulation and leukocytes, is implicated in human CNS infections, breaching the blood-brain barrier.

Conclusions:

  • Further research using advanced animal models is essential to understand the molecular mechanisms of Lm CNS pathogenesis.
  • Improved understanding of Lm neuroinvasion pathways can lead to better diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.
  • Developing accurate models of human neurolisteriosis is critical for advancing research on this life-threatening infection.

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