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Horizontal gene transfers in Listeria monocytogenes from food-processing environments under biofilm conditions

2026 · IFIP · eng

The emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria represents a major public health challenge. Biofilms, potential sources of cross-contamination in food, contribute to this phenomenon by protecting bacteria from antimicrobials and promoting genetic exchange [1,2]. In food processing environments, repeated exposure to biocides at sublethal doses can induce bacterial adaptation [3]. The SUBLIM project aims to define biological and environmental indicators that could be used to qualify surfaces of food-processing equipment with regards to L. monocytogenes (Lm) contamination. Since biofilms appear to be hot spots for horizontal gene transfer (HGT), this study aimed to understand how L. monocytogenes might acquire some genes providing an increase of its tolerance to biocides and resistance to antibiotics. The conjugation is one of the key mechanism for HGT but natural transformation via DNA release may participate to diffusion of resistance genes [4]. The competence of L. monocytogenes is not yet demonstrated but suspected, and overexpression of competence genes was noticed under biofilms conditions [5].

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