Measuring bacterial load and immune responses in mice infected with Listeria monocytogenes

Abstract

Listeria monocytogenes (Listeria) is a Gram-positive facultative intracellular pathogen. Mouse studies typically employ intravenous injection of Listeria, which results in systemic infection. After injection, Listeria quickly disseminates to the spleen and liver due to uptake by CD8α dendritic cells and Kupffer cells. Once phagocytosed, various bacterial proteins enable Listeria to escape the phagosome, survive within the cytosol, and infect neighboring cells. During the first three days of infection, different innate immune cells (e.g. monocytes, neutrophils, NK cells, dendritic cells) mediate bactericidal mechanisms that minimize Listeria proliferation. CD8+ T cells are subsequently recrui..