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Listeria monocytogenes is responsible for a number of potentially fatal diseases in humans. Its ability to resist environmental stresses is partially due to the alternative sigma factor, sigma B. Many of the genes under the control of the sigma B regulon have yet to have there functions discovered. This study further investigated two of these genes lmo0796, which has been shown to be involved in resistance to acidic conditions and lmo2748 which plays a role in salt tolerance. This study identifies a new hyperresistant phenotype for the sigma B deletion mutant and a possible hyperresistance phenotype for the lmo0796 deletion mutant in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. This study provides some important new insights into the mechanisms involved in stress tolerance in Listeria monocytogenes.

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Donal Connally was born in Galway in 1984. He received a B.Sc. in Microbiology from The National University of Ireland, Galway in 2007 and a M.Sc. in Biotechnology in 2008. He is currently studying for a pharmacy degree at Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen.

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