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Infection and Immunity, September 1998, p. 4461-4468, Vol. 66, No. 9
0019-9567/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Entry of Listeria monocytogenes into Neurons Occurs by Cell-to-Cell Spread: an In Vitro Study

S. Dramsi,1 S. Lévi,2 A. Triller,2 and P. Cossart1,*

Unité des Intéractions Bactéries-Cellules, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris,1 and Laboratoire de Biologie Cellulaire de la Synapse, Inserm CJF 94-10, Ecole Normale Supérieure, 75005 Paris,2 France

Received 30 March 1998/Returned for modification 27 May 1998/Accepted 18 June 1998

Listeria monocytogenes is an intracellular pathogen that causes severe central nervous system infection in humans and animals. The ability of this bacterium to penetrate nerve cells was investigated by using rat spinal cell cultures. Entry into distinct cell types, i.e., glial cells and neurons, was monitored by a differential immunofluorescence technique with antibodies against cell type-specific markers and the bacterial pathogen. L. monocytogenes was detected predominantly within macrophages constituting the microglia. Astrocytes and oligodendrocytes, the major components of macroglia, were infected to a lesser extent. Surprisingly, Listeria innocua, a noninvasive and nonpathogenic species, also has the capacity to enter into these three types of glial cells. Entry into neurons was a very rare event. In contrast, we found that L. monocytogenes could efficiently invade neurons when these latter cells were cocultivated with Listeria-infected mouse macrophages. In this case, infection of neurons occurs by cell-to-cell spread via an actA-dependent mechanism. These data support the notion that infected phagocytes can be vectors by which L. monocytogenes gains access to privileged niches such as the central nervous system.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Unité des Intéractions Bactéries-Cellules, Institut Pasteur, 28 rue du Dr Roux, 75015 Paris, France. Phone: (33 1) 45 68 88 41. Fax: (33 1) 45 68 87 06. E-mail: pcossart{at}pasteur.fr.

Infection and Immunity, September 1998, p. 4461-4468, Vol. 66, No. 9
0019-9567/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


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