Bioengineered probiotic could prevent Listeria infections Bioengineered lactobacillus (red) interacts with surface heat shock protein 60 (white, yellow arrows), blocking Listeria monocytogenes (green, white arrows) from crossing into the bloodstream. (Photo provided by Rishi Drolia and Arun Bhunia.)
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. For pregnant women, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems, listeriosis is a serious foodborne illness often linked to deli meats, fresh produce and dairy products. Even with antibiotic treatment, listeriosis is fatal for about 20 percent of patients, resulting in thousands of deaths annually.
Purdue University’s Arun Bhunia, a professor of food science, and postdoctoral researcher Rishi Drolia have developed a probiotic that could prevent infections in at-risk populations. A bioengineered version of Lactobacillus, a bacterium common in the human gut, can block the pathway the Listeria monocytogenes bacteria use to cross intestinal wall cell