A method for ex vivo human placental Listeria monocytogenes infections

Listeriosis is a potentially fatal disease caused by the food-borne pathogen, Listeria monocytogenes. L. monocytogenes has a unique ability to cross epithelial, blood-brain and placental barriers. The specific tropism of L. monocytogenes combined with immune suppression during pregnancy makes pregnant women up to 20 times more susceptible to these infections as compared to the general population. A variety of models have been utilized to study the L. monocytogenes lifecycle; however, only a handful of studies have examined human placental infections due to the difficulties associated with acquiring naturally infected placental tissue. To address this, we developed the first ex vivo human placenta model to study L. monocytogenes infections.