Journal of Infectious Diseases & Therapy
Open Access

Abstract

Statement of the Problem: Listeria monoctogenes is a zoonotic food-borne bacteria that leads to a variety serious infections in humans such as encephalitis, meningitis, abortion and septicemia. Most L. monocytogenes strains can cause high morbidity and mortality depending on their virulence, however some strains don��?t cause any infections in mammals due to absence of their virulence factors. L. monocytogenes provides its pathogenicity with virulence factors such as hlyA, actA, inlA, inlB, inlC, inlJ, plcA, plcB genes and vip, fbpA and fri which are recently reported. The presence of these genes is just as important as the expression levels that play an important role on its pathogenicity. Therefore, this study was aimed to detect the important virulence genes and expression levels of L. monocytogenes isolated from cattle, sheep carcasses and chicken (broiler) neck skin samples during slaughtering in Turkey. Methodology & Theoretical Orientation: In the study 31 L. monocytogenes isolated from 5 cattle, 3 sheep carcasses and 10 chicken neck skin samples were analyzed by real time RT-PCR for the presence and expression levels of major virulence genes including hlyA, actA, inlA, inlB, inlC, inlJ, plcA, plcB, vip, fbpA and fri. In the study spoG was used as house-keeping gene. Findings: According to the real time RT-PCR, hlyA, actA, inlA, inlB, inlC, inlJ, plcA, plcB, fbpA and fri genes were detected from all the isolates. However 5 isolate were not harbor vip gene. Six virulence genes were up regulated in a chicken isolate that has the highest virulence potential compared with the other L. monocytogenes isolates. Conclusion & Significance: Most of the L. monocytogenes isolates harbored all the 11 virulence genes. Some were up regulated, some were down and some were expressed as same as the house-keeping gene. Genetically, most virulent L. monocytogenes was originated from chicken and its serotype was 1/2a.

Biography

Naim Deniz Ayaz is Professor of the Department of Food Hygiene and Technology at Kirikkale University Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. He received his PhD in Food Hygiene and Technology from Ankara University in 2008. His main research interests are food microbiology, characterization of food-borne pathogens, bacteriophages, biocontrol of pathogens and bacterial antibiotic resistance.