Lignan-containing maple products inhibit biofilms on fresh produce.

Major listeriosis outbreaks have been associated with fresh produce contaminated with . Strains that synthesize the Pss exopolysaccharide (EPS) have an estimated 10 to 10-fold advantage over nonsynthesizing strains in causing listeriosis. They more readily attach to the surfaces of fruit and vegetables forming EPS-biofilms that better withstand stresses associated with produce storage and consumption.

The exopolysaccharide significantly enhances colonization and survival on fresh produce.

Fresh produce contaminated with has caused major listeriosis outbreaks in the last decades. Our knowledge about components of the listerial biofilms formed on fresh produce and their roles in causing foodborne illness remains incomplete. Here, we investigated, for the first time, the role of the listerial Pss exopolysaccharide (EPS) in plant surface colonization and stress tolerance.

Functional divergence of flagellar type III secretion system: A case study in a non-flagellated, predatory bacterium.

The lack of functional flagella and the ability to prey upon other microorganisms are well-known traits of , a plant beneficial bacterial species. Here, we report a possible link between these two traits in the model strain OH11 (OH11). The genome of OH11 encompasses several homologous genes involved in the flagellum formation but it lacks a functional , encoding the flagellin.

The Homologous Components of Flagellar Type III Protein Apparatus Have Acquired a Novel Function to Control Twitching Motility in a Non-Flagellated Biocontrol Bacterium.

The bacterial flagellum is one of the best-studied surface-attached appendages in bacteria. Flagellarassembly in vivo is promoted by its own protein export apparatus, a type III secretion system (T3SS) in pathogenic bacteria. OH11 is a non-flagellated soil bacterium that utilizes type IV pilus (T4P)-driven twitching motility to prey upon nearby fungi for food.