Listeriosis is a rare bacterial infection caused by a family of bacteria called Listeria. Listeria family contains ten different species, being Listeria monocytogenes the main responsible of causing listeriosis. Listeria monocytogenes is a facultative anaerobic Gram-positive bacterium, capable of surviving in the presence or absence of oxygen. Listeria monocytogenes is one of the most virulent food-borneRead More →
Certain bacteria can override a defence mechanism of the immune system, so-called programmed cell death, through inhibition of death effector molecules by their outer membranes components. Shigella bacteria, which cause diarrhoea, use lipopolysaccharides (LPS) on their surface to block the effector caspases. Lipopolysaccharides are a component of the bacterial outerRead More →
Mycoplasma is an atypical bacterial genus which main characteristic is that naturally lacks cells walls and are the smallest and simplest self-replicating bacteria. The presence of sterols in the plasma membrane helps in regulation of membrane fluidity and protects from osmotic lysis so they don’t need a wall. Some mycoplasma species are pathogenic inRead More →
