The Journal of Medical Microbiology, Vol 46, Issue 3 239-250, Copyright © 1997 by Society for General Microbiology

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Neutrophils and tumour necrosis factor-alpha are important for controlling early gastrointestinal stages of experimental murine listeriosis

J. W. Conlan
Trudeau Institute Inc., Saranac Lake, New York 12983, USA.

The present study examined the need for neutrophils and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF alpha) for early defence against gut infection with the enteroinvasive, facultative intracellular bacterial pathogen, Listeria monocytogenes. Mice were treated with a neutrophil-depleting monoclonal antibody (MAb) or a MAb directed against TNF alpha, and the consequences of these treatments on the course of orally initiated infection with the pathogen were monitored. By day 3, orally initiated L. monocytogenes infection in mice treated with either MAb was severely exacerbated to the extent that up to 5000-fold more listeriae were recovered from the walls of the stomach, small intestine, caecum or large intestine of treated mice than from controls. Systemic infection resulting from the ingestion of L. monocytogenes was also severely enhanced in mice treated with these MAbs. Therefore, the results showed that neutrophils and TNF alpha have a critical role in the early defence against enteroinvasive L. monocytogenes infection initiated by a natural (in this case the oral) route, as well as in the control of subsequent systemic infection.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				C. Cheminay, D. Chakravortty, and M. Hensel Role of Neutrophils in Murine Salmonellosis Infect. Immun., January 1, 2004; 72(1): 468 - 477. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. S. Hamrick, J. R. Horton, P. A. Spears, E. A. Havell, I. W. Smoak, and P. E. Orndorff Influence of Pregnancy on the Pathogenesis of Listeriosis in Mice Inoculated Intragastrically Infect. Immun., September 1, 2003; 71(9): 5202 - 5209. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. J. Czuprynski, N. G. Faith, and H. Steinberg A/J Mice Are Susceptible and C57BL/6 Mice Are Resistant to Listeria monocytogenes Infection by Intragastric Inoculation Infect. Immun., February 1, 2003; 71(2): 682 - 689. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. J. Czuprynski, N. G. Faith, and H. Steinberg Ability of the Listeria monocytogenes Strain Scott A To Cause Systemic Infection in Mice Infected by the Intragastric Route Appl. Envir. Microbiol., June 1, 2002; 68(6): 2893 - 2900. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. J. Czuprynski and N. G. Faith Sodium Bicarbonate Enhances the Severity of Infection in Neutropenic Mice Orally Inoculated with Listeria monocytogenes EGD Clin. Vaccine Immunol., March 1, 2002; 9(2): 477 - 481. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. Darville, C. W. Andrews Jr., and R. G. Rank Does Inhibition of Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha Affect Chlamydial Genital Tract Infection in Mice and Guinea Pigs? Infect. Immun., September 1, 2000; 68(9): 5299 - 5305. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. A. Drevets Dissemination of Listeria monocytogenes by Infected Phagocytes Infect. Immun., July 1, 1999; 67(7): 3512 - 3517. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]