Glycotyping and Specific Separation of Listeria monocytogenes with a Novel Bacteriophage Protein Tool Kit

Abstract

Listeria monocytogenes is a ubiquitous opportunistic pathogen that presents a major concern to the food industry due to its propensity to cause foodborne illness. The Listeria genus contains 15 different serovars, with most of the variance depending on the wall-associated teichoic acid glycopolymers, which confer somatic antigenicity. Strains belonging to serovars 1/2 and 4b cause the vast majority of listeriosis cases and outbreaks, meaning that regulators, as well as the food industry itself, have an interest in rapidly identifying isolates of these particular serovars in food processing environments. Current methods for phenotypic serovar differentiation are slow and lack accuracy, and the food industry could benefit from new technologies allowing serovar-specific isolation. Therefore, the novel method described here for rapid glycotype determination could present a valuable asset to detect and control this bacterium.