Handbook of Listeria Monocytogenes PDF

Preface

Listeria monocytogenes is a fascinating creature. At a quick glance, it is an innocent, peaceful, and free-living Gram-positive rod no different from many other microbes distributed ubiquitously in the environment; its frequent occurrence and isolation often blunt our vigilance. However, beneath its gentle appearance, it reveals a deadly intracellular bacterium that has the extraordinary capacity to survive under arduous conditions (including many food manufacturing processes) and to succeed as a ferocious food-borne pathogen. L. monocytogenes is truly the microbial world's wolf in sheep's clothing or Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Indeed, apart from L. monocytogenes, there are few other bacterial species that have the tenacity to withstand such an array of external stresses. Moreover, there are fewer still intracellular pathogens that have the ingenuity to adhere, enter host cells, escape from vacuoles, multiply in cytoplasm, and spread to neighboring cells, thus provoking a cascade of cell-mediated immune responses in their wake without being completely decimated by the host. Not surprisingly, besides offering a useful model for the study of host–pathogen relationships, L. monocytogenes has been increasingly recognized as a preferred vector for delivering anti-infective and cancer vaccine molecules, given its unsurpassed ability to elicit both CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses and to direct protective molecules into the cytoplasm.

Although L. monocytogenes was first described in the 1920s, its impact as a food-borne pathogen was not fully appreciated until the 1980s. Extensive research efforts in the preceding decades led to the elucidation of the fundamental aspects of L. monocytogenes biology, epidemiology, stress response, pathogenesis, immunology, genetics, and proteomics. A variety of phenotypic and genotypic techniques for identification, detection, strain typing, and virulence determination of this bacterium was also developed.

It is my honor to have as contributors a panel of international scientists with expertise in respective fields of L. monocytogenes research; their in-depth knowledge and pertinent technical insights have greatly enriched this book, making it an interesting text to read and a valuable roadmap to possess. In addition, the unwavering support of Senior Editor Judith Spiegel, Ph.D., and dedication of other staff at CRC Press have made the compilation of this book a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

I hope the readers of this book will become as intrigued and fascinated by the multifaceted features of this microbe as I have been during my involvement in Listeria research. Due to its ease of maintenance, L. monocytogenes often gives rise to a fleeting sense of triumph and a tinge of complacency in a novice investigator. However, the capability of this remarkable bacterium to conceal its true colors and to mislead research endeavors has proved a constant source of frustration for many upcoming as well as experienced microbiologists. If this book is helpful in any way to prepare readers in their study and exploitation of L. monocytogenes and other microbes to the advancement of biomedical sciences and intervention strategies, it may have well served its purpose.