Listeria monocytogenes M, originally isolated from bacon, was obtained from the collection of the Centre Wallon des Bio-Industries (Gembloux, Belgium). It is sensitive to the bacteriocin produced by wt and was used as an indicator and to artificially contaminate meat samples. It was spread SCH727965 molecular weight regularly over Palcam agar (Oxoid, Beauvais, France) plates and activated in tryptone soy broth (Biokar, Beauvais, France) at the time of its use. Strains mt (obtained by curing wt of its plasmids) and LMGel (obtained by electroporation of LMG with a wt-derived plasmid) are described in

the present work. All strains were grown in the meat system described below (see Meat system and meat sampling) or on DeMan, Rogosa, and Sharpe medium (MRS, Biokar) (broth or with 1.5% agar, as specified). To avoid plasmid loss by the LMGel strain, MRS medium was rendered selective for plasmid-containing cells (see Results) by addition of streptomycin (50 μg mL−1) or by replacing 2% glucose with either 2%d-celobiose, 2% gentiobiose, or 1% of each of these sugars. The corresponding media are henceforth, respectively, called MRSStr, MRSC, MRSG, and MRSCG. All strains were stored at −80 °C in their respective media with added 40% glycerol

(v/v). Once the antibiotic sensitivity profile conferred by the identified plasmid was obtained (see RAD001 mouse Results), selection for its presence was carried out on a medium containing streptomycin (50 μg mL−1). The model food system used was as described by Kouakou et al. (2009), except that the meat was first rubbed with d-celobiose and gentiobiose (each at 1%) to favour plasmid stability in LMGel. Then, briefly, 50-g blocks of raw pork meat (listed characteristics: 60% moisture; 15% protein; 13% fat; 5% minerals; and 7% carbohydrates, pH 5.65, at 24 h) were transferred to sterile Stomacher bags, homogenized in deionized water, transferred to sterile bottles, nearly and coinoculated with L. monocytogenes and the specified L. curvatus

strain (103 CFU of each bacterium g−1). A control with only L. monocytogenes (initial concentration: 103 CFU g−1) was included. The treated homogenates were then incubated for 4 weeks at 4 °C. Meat samples (20 g crushed meat) were taken at the start of the experiment (day 0, before storage) and on days 7, 14, and 28. Samples were diluted with 10 mL of sterile saline (0.85% NaCl) and homogenized in a Stomacher bag. The method used to cure wt of its plasmid(s) combined heating, as described by Sonstein & Baldwin (1972), with sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) treatment according to Collins & Harvey (1962). A single colony of wt was picked from an MRS agar plate, inoculated into 5.0 mL MRS broth, and grown overnight at 37 °C. Then 5.0 mL fresh medium containing SDS (1%) was seeded with 0.1 mL of culture and incubated overnight at 42 °C. This culture was centrifuged at 4424 g for 5 min.