phaidra.vetmeduni.ac.at o:4192 DOI 10.1038/s41538-025-00436-5 The type of food influences the behaviour of Listeria monocytogenes in a food-gastrointestinal-infection model Food contaminated with Listeria (L.) monocytogenes is the main source of human listeriosis, but how different food matrices affect the survival and invasion in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is still unclear. This study examined three ready-to-eat foods - soft-cheese, smoked salmon, and sausage - using a food-GI-infection model. We observed strain-dependent growth rates, but food matrices did not significantly impact growth. However, nutrient sources altered gene expression. Passage through the GI model upregulated 23 stress genes and 29 virulence genes (e.g., clpE, hly, and plcB). L. monocytogenes survival was higher in cheese and fish compared to sausage, due to their lower buffer capacity. Invasion efficiency into Caco-2 cells was highest in fish, potentially linked to its fatty acid composition. Food matrices and GI conditions influenced the transcriptional profiles of stress-associated and virulence genes. This study highlights the significant role of food matrices in L. monocytogenes survival and infection. eng Cross-Protection Gene-Expression United-States Caco-2 Cells Fat-Content Growth Survival Acid Virulence Stress 2025-06-11T09:33:48.990Z LOMv1.0 Author BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Pracser;Nadja; FN:Nadja Pracser END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Zaiser;Andreas; FN:Andreas Zaiser END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Ciolacu;Luminita; FN:Luminita Ciolacu END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Roch;Franz-Ferdinand; FN:Franz-Ferdinand Roch X-ORCID:https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5493-7873 END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Quijada;Narciso M.; FN:Narciso M. Quijada END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Thalguter;Sarah; FN:Sarah Thalguter END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Dzieciol;Monika; FN:Monika Dzieciol X-ORCID:https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0972-6241 END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Conrady;Beate; FN:Beate Conrady X-ORCID:https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8554-5963 END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Wagner;Martin; FN:Martin Wagner X-ORCID:https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8032-9858 END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Rychli;Kathrin; FN:Kathrin Rychli END:VCARD https://w3id.org/kim/hcrt/scheme https://w3id.org/kim/hcrt/text Textdokument Text LOMv1.0 yes https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 application/pdf 1582286 https://phaidra.vetmeduni.ac.at/o:4192 https://phaidra.vetmeduni.ac.at/api/object/o:4192/thumbnail LOMv1.0 discipline