Interactions of killed Listeria monocytogenes with the mouse complement system.

Incubation of mouse serum with Listeria monocytogenes involved activation of the alternative complement pathway, resulting in depletion of both classical and alternative pathway activity. The activation process gave rise to reactive (calcium- and magnesium-independent) lysis of, specifically, rabbit erythrocytes, which become resistant to this form of hemolysis by sensitization with antibodies. The possible implications of these findings for L. monocytogenes as an intracellular parasite and for rabbit erythrocytes as target cells for mouse alternative complement pathway activity are discussed.