<i>Listeria monocytogenes</i> use multiple mechanisms to disseminate from the intestinal lamina propria to the mesenteric lymph nodes

Consumption of the foodborne bacterial pathogen <i>Listeria monocytogenes</i> results in a wide spectrum of human disease from mild self-limiting gastroenteritis to life-threatening infections of the bloodstream, brain, and placenta. It is not well understood how the bacteria migrate from the intestines to the draining mesenteric lymph nodes, which are thought to serve as the last barrier to prevent systemic infections. Results presented here reveal multiple redundant mechanisms <i>L. monocytogenes</i> can use to disseminate from the ileum or colon to the mesenteric lymph nodes.