Characterization and Genetic Diversity of Listeria monocytogenes Isolated from Cattle Abortions in Latvia, 2013-2018.

Žanete Šteingolde,Madara Streikiša,Jeļena Avsejenko,Laura Alksne,Aivars Bērziņš,Margarita Terentjeva,Silva Gradovska,Sophie Roussel,Ieva Bergšpica,Irēna Meistere,Juris Ķibilds

doi:10.3390/vetsci8090195

Abstract

Listeria monocytogenes can cause disease in humans and in a wide range of animal species, especially in farm ruminants. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence and genetic diversity of L. monocytogenes related to 1185 cattle abortion cases in Latvia during 2013–2018. The prevalence of L. monocytogenes among cattle abortions was 16.1% (191/1185). The seasonality of L. monocytogenes abortions was observed with significantly higher occurrence (p < 0.01) in spring (March–May). In 61.0% of the cases, the affected cattle were under four years of age. L. monocytogenes abortions were observed during the third (64.6%) and second (33.3%) trimesters of gestation. Overall, 27 different sequence types (ST) were detected, and four of them, ST29 (clonal complex, CC29), ST37 (CC37), ST451 (CC11) and ST7 (CC7), covered more than half of the L. monocytogenes isolates. Key virulence factors like the prfA-dependent virulence cluster and inlA, inlB were observed in all the analyzed isolates, but lntA, inlF, inlJ, vip were associated with individual sequence types. Our results confirmed that L. monocytogenes is the most important causative agent of cattle abortions in Latvia and more than 20 different STs were observed in L. monocytogenes abortions in cattle.

Highlights

Listeria monocytogenes is a gram-positive, facultative intracellular pathogen that is ubiquitously distributed in the environment
This is the first study in Latvia investigating L. monocytogenes isolated from animals and the results provide valuable information for further research in this field
The results of this study demonstrated the evident seasonality of L. monocytogenes occurrence among cattle abortions

Summary

Introduction

Listeria monocytogenes is a gram-positive, facultative intracellular pathogen that is ubiquitously distributed in the environment. The natural habitat of the pathogen is thought to be decomposing plant material in which L. monocytogenes exists as a saprophyte [1]. It is well-known as a zoonotic pathogen as it can cause listeriosis—an infectious disease of humans and different animal species [2,3,4,5]. Listeriosis in animals can be observed in various clinical manifestations—uterine infection, septicemia, central nervous system infection, gastroenteritis, mastitis and eye infection [6,7,8,9]. The pathogen is ingested via the oral route and the contaminated silage is assumed to be one of the main sources of cattle listeriosis at farms [14]

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