Route of Infection Determines the Impact of Type I Interferons on Innate Immunity to Listeria monocytogenes.

ABSTRACT: Listeria monocytogenes is a food-borne pathogen which causes mild to life threatening disease in humans. Ingestion of contaminated food delivers the pathogen to the gastrointestinal tract, where it crosses the epithelial barrier and spreads to internal organs. Type I interferons (IFN-I) are produced during infection and decrease host resistance after systemic delivery of L. monocytogenes. Here we show that mice benefit from IFN-I production following infection with L. monocytogenes via the gastrointestinal route. Intragastric infection lead to increased lethality of IFN-I receptor chain 1-deficient (Ifnar1-/-) animals and to higher bacterial numbers in liver and spleen. Compared to infection from the peritoneum, bacteria infecting via the intestinal tract localized more often to periportal

SUBMITTER: Kernbauer E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3686784 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature