Abstract:
The liver carries the main pathogen load during infection and is important for the defence against Listeria monocytogenes, however, the organ specific mechanisms that lead to the observed phenotype during listeriosis are undefined.
L.monocytogenes (EGD-e), is a Gram-positive bacterium, intracellular pathogen, which can cause severe infectious disease in human and animals.
Complement factor P or properdin is part of a system of proteins important in the first line immune defence against infection which plays a role in strengthening the complement activation. It has the ability to identify and bind to certain bacterial surfaces and enhances activation of the alternative pathway of complement.
Since the liver is the main organ in the clearance of L. monocytogenes and represents an important localization of listerial proliferation, the role of properdin in intracellular localisation of L. monocytogenes in liver was studied using Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in order to determine important processes and defined clearing processes of L. monocytogenes in the livers. In brief, the increase in bacterial burden in liver from properdin-deficient mice at 28-29 hours after L. monocytogenes infection were shown by TEM.
