Multiple Infection and Its Consequences for Virulence Management

Author(s):  
Sylvain Gandon ◽  
Yannis Michalakis
Keyword(s):  
2020 ◽  
Vol 202 (18) ◽  
Author(s):  
Giulia Orazi ◽  
Fabrice Jean-Pierre ◽  
George A. O’Toole

ABSTRACT The thick mucus within the airways of individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF) promotes frequent respiratory infections that are often polymicrobial. Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus are two of the most prevalent pathogens that cause CF pulmonary infections, and both are among the most common etiologic agents of chronic wound infections. Furthermore, the ability of P. aeruginosa and S. aureus to form biofilms promotes the establishment of chronic infections that are often difficult to eradicate using antimicrobial agents. In this study, we found that multiple LasR-regulated exoproducts of P. aeruginosa, including 2-heptyl-4-hydroxyquinoline N-oxide (HQNO), siderophores, phenazines, and rhamnolipids, likely contribute to the ability of P. aeruginosa PA14 to shift S. aureus Newman norfloxacin susceptibility profiles. Here, we observe that exposure to P. aeruginosa exoproducts leads to an increase in intracellular norfloxacin accumulation by S. aureus. We previously showed that P. aeruginosa supernatant dissipates the S. aureus membrane potential, and furthermore, depletion of the S. aureus proton motive force recapitulates the effect of the P. aeruginosa PA14 supernatant on shifting norfloxacin sensitivity profiles of biofilm-grown S. aureus Newman. From these results, we hypothesize that exposure to P. aeruginosa PA14 exoproducts leads to increased uptake of the drug and/or an impaired ability of S. aureus Newman to efflux norfloxacin. Surprisingly, the effect observed here of P. aeruginosa PA14 exoproducts on S. aureus Newman susceptibility to norfloxacin seemed to be specific to these strains and this antibiotic. Our results illustrate that microbially derived products can alter the ability of antimicrobial agents to kill bacterial biofilms. IMPORTANCE Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus are frequently coisolated from multiple infection sites, including the lungs of individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF) and nonhealing diabetic foot ulcers. Coinfection with P. aeruginosa and S. aureus has been shown to produce worse outcomes compared to infection with either organism alone. Furthermore, the ability of these pathogens to form biofilms enables them to cause persistent infection and withstand antimicrobial therapy. In this study, we found that P. aeruginosa-secreted products dramatically increase the ability of the antibiotic norfloxacin to kill S. aureus biofilms. Understanding how interspecies interactions alter the antibiotic susceptibility of bacterial biofilms may inform treatment decisions and inspire the development of new therapeutic strategies.


Plant Disease ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 103 (6) ◽  
pp. 1309-1318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lei Zhao ◽  
Wen Yang ◽  
Yuanle Zhang ◽  
Zhanmin Wu ◽  
Qiao-Chun Wang ◽  
...  

Kiwifruit (Actinidia spp.) is an economically substantial fruit crop with China the main producer. China is the primary source of wild kiwifruit and the largest producer of kiwifruit in terms of both production and planting area, and Shaanxi province is the largest kiwifruit producer in China. Previous studies reported presence of kiwifruit viruses in Actinidia chinensis. In this study, six viruses were identified in kiwifruit ‘Xuxiang’ (A. deliciosa) in Shaanxi, China. The incidence, distribution, and genetic diversity of these viruses were studied. The results showed that Actinidia virus A (AcVA), Actinidia virus B (AcVB), Actinidia chlorotic ringspot-associated virus (AcCRaV), cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), apple stem grooving virus (ASGV), and potato virus X (PVX) were the main viruses infecting Xuxiang kiwifruit in Shaanxi, China. Incidence of the various viruses with both single and multiple infection varied with different kiwifruit-growing counties. For single virus infection, the highest and the lowest numbers of samples infected were about 22 for AcCRaV and 0 for AcVB in Meixian out of 170 samples, 12 for AcVA and 0 for CMV in Zhouzhi out of 120 samples, 10 for AcVA and 0 for AcVB, AcCRaV, ASGV, PVX, and CMV in Yangling out of 70 samples, and 8 for AcCRaV and CMV and 0 for AcVA, AcVB, ASGV, and PVX in Hanzhong out of 80 samples, respectively. Samples which were multiply infected with two or more viruses were also detected. Analysis of the phylogenetic tree of these viruses showed some genetic variability in the AcVA, AcVB, and AcCRaV isolates of Shaanxi kiwifruit. There was no obvious molecular variation in the coat protein genes of ASGV, CMV, and PVX virus isolates from Shaanxi kiwifruit. The present study is the first large-scale survey of kiwifruit viruses in Shaanxi, China. To our knowledge, this is the first report of PVX infecting kiwifruit and the first report of molecular variability of AcVA, AcVB, and AcCRaV. These results provide important data for studying the genetic evolution of AcVA, AcVB, AcCRaV, ASGV, CMV, and PVX.


2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Guohong Zhu ◽  
Dan Xu ◽  
Yuanyuan Zhang ◽  
Tianlin Wang ◽  
Lingyan Zhang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Viruses are the main infectious agents of acute respiratory infections in children. We aim to describe the epidemiological characteristics of viral pathogens of acute respiratory tract infections in outpatient children. Methods From April 2018 to March 2019, the results of viral detection using oral pharyngeal swabs from 103,210 children with acute respiratory tract infection in the outpatient department of the Children’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, were retrospectively analyzed. Viral antigens, including adenovirus (ADV), influenza A (FLUA), influenza B (FLUB) and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), were detected by the colloidal gold method. Results At least one virus was detected in 38,355 cases; the positivity rate was 37.2%. A total of 1910 cases of mixed infection with two or more viruses were detected, and the positivity rate of multiple infection was 1.9%. The ADV positivity rate was highest in the 3–6-year-old group (18.7%), the FLUA positivity rate was highest in the > 6-year-old group (21.6%), the FLUB positivity rate was highest in the > 6-year-old group (6.6%), and the RSV positivity rate was highest in the < 1-year-old group (10.6%). There was a significant difference in the positivity rate of viral infection among different age groups (χ2 = 1280.7, P < 0.001). The rate of positive viral infection was highest in winter (47.1%). The ADV infection rate was highest in spring (18.2%). The rates of FLUA and FLUB positivity were highest in winter (28.8% and 3.6%, respectively). The rate of RSV positivity was highest in autumn (17.4%). The rate of positive viral infection in different seasons was significantly different (χ2 = 6459.1, P < 0.001). Conclusions Viral infection rates in children differ for different ages and seasons. The positivity rate of ADV is highest in the preschool period and that of RSV is highest in infants; that of FLU increases with age. The total positive rate of viral infection in different seasons is highest in winter, as is the rate of FLU positivity.


2015 ◽  
Vol 377 ◽  
pp. 98-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ani Asatryan ◽  
Dominik Wodarz ◽  
Natalia L. Komarova

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 93
Author(s):  
Mary McCarron ◽  
Darren McCausland ◽  
Retha Luus ◽  
Andrew Allen ◽  
Fintan Sheerin ◽  
...  

Background: People with intellectual disability have increased risk of exposure to and adverse outcomes from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).They also face challenges to mental health and well-being from COVID-19-related social restrictions and service closures. Methods: Data from a supplemental COVID-19 survey from the Intellectual Disability Supplement to the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (IDS-TILDA) (n=710) was used to assess outcomes from the first infection wave of COVID-19 among adults with intellectual disability aged 40+ years in Ireland. Data was gathered on testing, for symptoms and outcomes; procedures to manage COVID-19; and both stress/anxiety and positive experiences during the pandemic. Demographic and health-related data from the main IDS-TILDA dataset was included in analyses. Results: High rates were identified of health conditions associated with poorer COVID-19 outcomes, including overweight/obesity (66.6%, n=365), high cholesterol (38.6%, n=274) and cardiovascular disease (33.7%, n=239). Over half (53.5%, n=380) reported emotional, nervous or psychiatric disorders. Almost two-thirds (62.4%, n=443) were tested for COVID-19, with 10% (n=71) reporting symptoms and 2.5% (n=11) testing positive. There were no instances of COVID-19 related mortality. Common symptoms included fatigue, fever, and cough. Some participants (7.8%, n=55) moved from their usual home, most often to isolate (n=31) or relocate to a family home (n=11). Three-quarters (78.7%) of those who were symptomatic or who tested positive had plans to manage self-isolation and two-thirds were able to comply with guidelines. Over half (55%, n=383) reported some COVID-19 related stress/anxiety; and a similar proportion reported positive aspects during this period (58%, n=381). Conclusions: Our data suggests that people with intellectual disability avoided the worst impacts of COVID-19 during the first infection wave in Ireland. Nevertheless, participants’ health profiles suggest that this population remains at high risk for adverse infection outcomes. Repeated measures are needed to track health and well-being outcomes across multiple infection waves.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rong Dong ◽  
Qingping Tian ◽  
Yongping Shi ◽  
Shanjun Chen ◽  
Yougang Zhang ◽  
...  

Background: Gardenia Fructus (GF), a traditional Chinese medicine of Gardenia Ellis in Rubiaceae family, has the potential to clear heat and purge fire and has been widely used to treat multiple infection-related diseases. However, the quality markers (Q-Markers) of GF have not been revealed comprehensively.Methods: In this experiment, the transgenic zebrafish lines, Tg (l-fabp:EGFP) and Tg (lyz:EGFP), were used to evaluate two main kinds of traditional efficacies of GF, hepatoprotective and anti-inflammatory effects. All the GF samples from different production areas were tested their anti-liver injury and anti-inflammantory activities. High-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry method (HPLC-Q-TOF/MS) was employed for herbal metabonomic analysis of GF samples. Gray correlation analysis (GCA) was utilized to screen out the components closely associated with the activities. Finally, the zebrafish model was applied to verify the bioactivity of the crucial components to determine the Q-Markers of GF.Results: The zebrafish models were established by inducing with hydrogen peroxide or copper sulfate and applied to quickly evaluate the hepatoprotective effect and inflammation of GF samples. 27 potentially active components for liver protection and 21 potentially active components with anti-inflammatory properties were identified by herbal metabolomic analysis based on HPLC-Q-TOF/MS. The GCA result showed that five of the 27 components were highly correlated with liver protection, 15 of the 21 components were highly correlated with anti-inflammatory activity. Among them, geniposide and crocin-1 were confirmed their bioactivities on zebrafish experiment to be responsible for the protective effects of GF against liver injury, and genipin-1-β-D-gentiobioside, quinic acid, gardenoside, d-glucuronic acid, l-malic acid, mannitol, rutin, and chlorogenic acid were confirmed to be responsible for the anti-inflammatory effects. Finally, according to the screening principles of Q-Markers, genipin-1-β-D-gentiobioside, geniposide, and gardenoside were preliminarily identified to be the Q-Markers of GF.Conclusion: This study established an effective research strategy of “Omics Discrimination-Grey Correlation-Biological Verification,” which enabled the rapid identification of key pharmacological components of GF. These markers have provided a scientific basis for constructing a modern quality evaluation system for GF.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Caixia Dou ◽  
Zhiyuan Shang ◽  
Jiayun Qiao ◽  
Yimeng Wang ◽  
Haihua Li

Clostridium butyricum (CB) is a naturally occurring probiotic compound that can alleviate the oxidative damage induced by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli K88 (ETEC K88) in porcine intestinal epithelial (IPEC-J2) cells. In this study, we investigate the molecular mechanism underlying this effect. Based on cell viability, malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPX) assessments, the optimal concentration of ETEC K88 was determined to be 1 × 10 3  cfu/mL. Viable bacteria counts in cells pretreated with CB and then infected with ETEC K88 show that CB can adhere to IPEC-J2 cells and that optimal adhesion is achieved at the multiple infection index (MOI) of 50 at 3 h of pretreatment. The results of qPCR indicate that although ETEC significantly decreases the expression levels of antioxidant enzymes regulated by NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) compared to the control group, CB reverses this effect. To confirm that Nrf2 is directly involved in the mechanism by which CB alleviates oxidative stress, siRNA was used to silence the expression of Nrf2 gene in IPEC-J2 cells. Compared to the NC+ETEC and siRNA+ETEC groups, the expressions of SOD1, SOD2, GPX1, and GPX2 in the NC+CB+ETEC and siRNA+CB+ETEC groups are significantly increased at 12 h and 24 h. This shows that CB can reduce ETEC K88-induced oxidative damage in IPEC-J2 cells by activating the expression of antioxidant enzymes implicated in the Kelch-like ECH-associated protein-1- (Keap1-) Nrf2/antioxidant response element (ARE) signaling pathway.


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