AUTHOR=Gan Lin , Mao Pan , Jiang Huaying , Zhang Lu , Liu Dongxin , Cao Xiaolong , Wang Yan , Wang Yiqian , Sun Hui , Huang Ying , Ye Changyun 

TITLE=Two Prevalent Listeria ivanovii subsp. ivanovii Clonal Strains With Different Virulence Exist in Wild Rodents and Pikas of China

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Veterinary Science

VOLUME=7

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2020.00088

DOI=10.3389/fvets.2020.00088

ISSN=2297-1769

ABSTRACT=<p><italic>Listeria ivanovii</italic> subsp. <italic>ivanovii</italic> is an intracellular bacterium distributed widely in nature, causing the listeriosis in ruminants and humans. Previous researches had isolated 116 strains of <italic>L. ivanovii</italic> subsp. <italic>ivanovii</italic> from wild rodents and pikas of different regions in China, and the predominant sequence types were ST1 and ST2. In this study, we first investigated the biological characteristics and virulence of these two clonal strains including motility, metabolism and virulence in cells and mouse model. The results demonstrated the ST1 strains exhibited motility, wide metabolic activity and hypervirulence, whereas the ST2 strains showed non-motility, relative lower metabolic activity and virulence. Considering the transmissible ability from wild rodents and pikas to ecological environment, the <italic>L. ivanovii</italic> subsp. <italic>ivanovii</italic> with potential pathogenicity to humans and ruminants should be monitored.</p>