Abstract
Some strains of the foodborne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes, known for causing gastroenteritis, also can infect the heart, sometimes fatally. Moreover, heart-targeting strains apparently favor muscle tissue instead of valves, setting them apart from other bacterial pathogens that target this organ, according to Nancy Freitag at the Chicago College of Medicine, part of the University of Illinois in Chicago, her colleague Francis Alonzo, and their collaborators, Linda Bobo at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Mo., and Daniel Skiest of Baystate Medical Center-Tufts University School of Medicine in Springfield, Mass. Slight changes in proteins that enable this pathogen to bind and enter host cells might help to explain this unusual targeting of the heart instead of other tissues and organs, the researchers say.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
