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Association of Placental Infection with Listeria monocytogenes and Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Prachee Pingle, 4th year |
Abstract:
Maternal infection caused by an intracellular foodborne pathogen, Listeria monocytogenes, causes listeriosis which can have a detrimental impact on the development of the fetus. The infection triggers an inflammatory response in the pregnant mother which can cause abnormal fetal brain development potentially leading to neurodevelopmental disorders in the offspring.
In this study, pregnant CD-1 mice were infected with listeria to induce an infection response on gestational day 14.5. Behavioral tests were done on the offspring to observe for lack of social interaction with novel and familiar and repetitive behaviors that model disorders such as autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia.
