Investigating stress tolerance mechanisms among persistent L. monocytogenes isolates

The goal of this project is to use adaptive laboratory evolution to identify the genetic determinants of stress tolerance in Listeria monocytogenes. We have sequenced the genomes of 3 persistent strains of L. monocytogenes that were isolated from food/agricultural environments. We will use genomic analyses and phenotypic data to investigate putative stress tolerance genes that confer resistance to industrially-relevant sanitizers.