This volume includes research from the studies at the molecular level on the pathogenesis of Listeria monocytogenes and the response of the host to its infections. During the past twenty years Listeria monocytogenes has emerged as one of the most intensely studied bacterial pathogens. New windows are constantly being opened into the complexity of host cell biology and the interplay of the signals connecting the various cells and organs involved in the host response. As revealed in many of the chapters in this volume, the study of L. monocytogenes has already provided major insights into eukaryotic cell biology.
A Twenty-Year Perspective on Listeria Monocytogenes Pathogenesis.- Listeriosis.- Genomics of Listeria Monocytogenes.- Metabolism and Physiology of Listeria Monocytogenes.- The Cell Wall of Listeria and its Role In Pathogenicity.- Environmental Reservoir and Transmission of Listeria Monocytogenes into the Mammalian Host.- Regulation of Listeria Monocytogenes Virulence Genes.- Invasion of Host Cells by Listeria Monocytogenes.- Escape of Listeria Monocytogenes from A Vacuole.- Actin-Based Motility and Cell-To-Cell Spread of Listeria Monocytogenes.- Immune Response to Listeria Monocytogenes.- Immune Evasion by Listeria Monocytogenes.- Listeria Bacteriophages.