Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Bronchiectasis

2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (04) ◽  
pp. 587-594
Author(s):  
Laia Fernández-Barat ◽  
Victoria Alcaraz-Serrano ◽  
Rosanel Amaro ◽  
Antoni Torres

Abstract Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) in patients with bronchiectasis (BE) is associated with a poor outcome and quality of life, and its presence is considered a marker of disease severity. This opportunistic pathogen is known for its ability to produce biofilms on biotic or abiotic surfaces and to survive environmental stress exerted by antimicrobials, inflammation, and nutrient or oxygen depletion. The presence of PA biofilms has been linked to chronic respiratory infection in cystic fibrosis but not in BE. There is considerable inconsistency in the reported infection/eradication rates of PA and chronic PA. In addition, inadequate antimicrobial treatment may potentiate the progression from intermittent to chronic infection and also the emergence of antibiotic resistance. A better comprehension of the pathophysiology of PA infections and its implications for BE is urgently needed. This can drive improvements in diagnostic accuracy, can move us toward a new consensus definition of chronic infection, can better define the follow-up of patients at risk of PA, and can achieve more successful eradication rates. In addition, the new technological advances regarding molecular diagnostics, -omics, and biomarkers require us to reconsider our traditional concepts.

2007 ◽  
Vol 189 (23) ◽  
pp. 8667-8676 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabelle Vallet-Gely ◽  
Josh S. Sharp ◽  
Simon L. Dove

ABSTRACT The cupA gene cluster of Pseudomonas aeruginosa encodes components and assembly factors of a putative fimbrial structure that enable this opportunistic pathogen to form biofilms on abiotic surfaces. In P. aeruginosa the control of cupA gene expression is complex, with the H-NS-like MvaT protein functioning to repress phase-variable (on/off) expression of the operon. Here we identify four positive regulators of cupA gene expression, including three unusual regulators encoded by the cgrABC genes and Anr, a global regulator of anaerobic gene expression. We show that the cupA genes are expressed in a phase-variable manner under anaerobic conditions and that the cgr genes are essential for this expression. We show further that cgr gene expression is negatively controlled by MvaT and positively controlled by Anr and anaerobiosis. Expression of the cupA genes therefore appears to involve a regulatory cascade in which anaerobiosis, signaled through Anr, stimulates expression of the cgr genes, resulting in a concomitant increase in cupA gene expression. Our findings thus provide mechanistic insight into the regulation of cupA gene expression and identify anaerobiosis as an inducer of phase-variable cupA gene expression, raising the possibility that phase-variable expression of fimbrial genes important for biofilm formation may occur in P. aeruginosa persisting in the largely anaerobic environment of the cystic fibrosis host lung.


2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (42) ◽  
pp. 10714-10719 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alana Schick ◽  
Rees Kassen

Chronic infection of the cystic fibrosis (CF) airway by the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality for adult CF patients. Prolonged infections are accompanied by adaptation of P. aeruginosa to the unique conditions of the CF lung environment, as well as marked diversification of the pathogen into phenotypically and genetically distinct strains that can coexist for years within a patient. Little is known, however, about the causes of this diversification and its impact on patient health. Here, we show experimentally that, consistent with ecological theory of diversification, the nutritional conditions of the CF airway can cause rapid and extensive diversification of P. aeruginosa. Mucin, the substance responsible for the increased viscosity associated with the thick mucus layer in the CF airway, had little impact on within-population diversification but did promote divergence among populations. Furthermore, in vitro evolution recapitulated traits thought to be hallmarks of chronic infection, including reduced motility and increased biofilm formation, and the range of phenotypes observed in a collection of clinical isolates. Our results suggest that nutritional complexity and reduced dispersal can drive evolutionary diversification of P. aeruginosa independent of other features of the CF lung such as an active immune system or the presence of competing microbial species. We suggest that diversification, by generating extensive phenotypic and genetic variation on which selection can act, may be a key first step in the development of chronic infections.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiangke Duan ◽  
Yanrong Pan ◽  
Zhao Cai ◽  
Yumei Liu ◽  
Yingdan Zhang ◽  
...  

Abstract BackgroundPseudomonas aeruginosa is a notorious opportunistic pathogen causing various biofilm-related infections. Biofilm formation is a unique microbial strategy that allows P. aeruginosa to survive adverse conditions such as antibiotic treatment and human immune responses. ResultsIn this study, we experimentally evolved P. aeruginosa PAO1 biofilms for cyclic treatment in the presence of high dose of imipenem, and enriched hyperbiofilm mutants within six cycles in two independent lineages. The competition assay showed the evolved hyperbiofilm mutants can outcompete the ancestral strain within biofilm by prolonging the biofilm mode of growth but not in planktonic cultures. Whole-genome sequencing analysis revealed the hyperbiofilm phenotype is caused by point mutations in rpoS gene in all independently evolved mutants and the same mutation was found in P. aeruginosa clinical isolates. We further showed that mutation in rpoS enhanced biofilm formation by prolonging the biofilm mode of growth and elevating the intracellular c-di-GMP level. Mutation in rpoS increased pyocyanin production and virulence in both P. aeruginosa laboratory strains and clinical isolates. ConclusionHere, our study revealed that antibiotic treatment of biofilm-related P. aeruginosa infections might induce a hyperbiofilm phenotype via rpoS mutation, which might partially explain antimicrobial treatment failure of many P. aeruginosa biofilm-related infections.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiangke Duan ◽  
Yanrong Pan ◽  
Zhao Cai ◽  
Yumei Liu ◽  
Yingdan Zhang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a notorious opportunistic pathogen causing various types of biofilm-related infections. Biofilm formation is a unique microbial strategy that allows P. aeruginosa to survive adverse conditions such as antibiotic treatment and human immune clearance. Results In this study, we experimentally evolved P. aeruginosa PAO1 biofilms for cyclic treatment in the presence of high dose of imipenem, and enriched hyperbiofilm mutants within six cycles in two independent lineages. The competition assay showed that the evolved hyperbiofilm mutants can outcompete the ancestral strain within biofilms but not in planktonic cultures. Whole-genome sequencing analysis revealed the hyperbiofilm phenotype is caused by point mutations in rpoS gene in all independently evolved mutants and the same mutation was found in P. aeruginosa clinical isolates. We further showed that mutation in rpoS gene increased the intracellular c-di-GMP level by turning on the expression of the diguanylate cyclases. Mutation in rpoS increased pyocyanin production and virulence in hyperbiofilm variants. Conclusion Here, our study revealed that antibiotic treatment of biofilm-related P. aeruginosa infections might induce a hyperbiofilm phenotype via rpoS mutation, which might partially explain antimicrobial treatment failure of many P. aeruginosa biofilm-related infections.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel J.T. Wardell ◽  
Jeff Gauthier ◽  
Lois W. Martin ◽  
Marianne Potvin ◽  
Ben Brockway ◽  
...  

The opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa chronically infects the lungs of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). During infection the bacteria evolve and adapt to the lung environment. Here we use genomic, transcriptomic and phenotypic approaches to compare multiple isolates of P. aeruginosa collected more than 20 years apart during a chronic infection in a CF patient. Complete genome sequencing of the isolates, using short- and long-read technologies, showed that a genetic bottleneck occurred during infection and was followed by diversification of the bacteria. A 125 kb deletion, an 0.9 Mb inversion and hundreds of smaller mutations occurred during evolution of the bacteria in the lung, with an average rate of 17 mutations per year. Many of the mutated genes are associated with infection or antibiotic resistance. RNA sequencing was used to compare the transcriptomes of an earlier and a later isolate. Substantial reprogramming of the transcriptional network had occurred, affecting multiple genes that contribute to continuing infection. Changes included greatly reduced expression of flagellar machinery and increased expression of genes for nutrient acquisition and biofilm formation, as well as altered expression of a large number of genes of unknown function. Phenotypic studies showed that most later isolates had increased cell adherence and antibiotic resistance, reduced motility, and reduced production of pyoverdine (an iron-scavenging siderophore), consistent with genomic and transcriptomic data. The approach of integrating genomic, transcriptomic and phenotypic analyses reveals, and helps to explain, the plethora of changes that P. aeruginosa undergoes to enable it to adapt to the environment of the CF lung during a chronic infection.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alana Schick ◽  
Rees Kassen

AbstractChronic infection of the cystic fibrosis (CF) airway by the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality for adult CF patients. Prolonged infections are accompanied by adaptation of P. aeruginosa to the unique conditions of the CF lung environment as well as marked diversification of the pathogen into phenotypically and genetically distinct strains that can coexist for years within a patient. Little is known, however, about the causes of this diversification and its impact on patient health. Here, we show experimentally that, consistent with ecological theory of diversification, the nutritional conditions of the CF airway can cause rapid and extensive diversification of P. aeruginosa. The increased viscosity associated with the thick mucous layer in the CF airway had little impact on within-population diversification but did promote divergence among populations. Notably, in vitro evolution recapitulated patho-adaptive traits thought to be hallmarks of chronic infection, including reduced motility and increased biofilm formation, and the range of phenotypes observed in a collection of clinical isolates. Our results suggest that nutritional complexity and reduced dispersal can drive evolutionary diversification of P. aeruginosa independent of other features of the CF lung such as an active immune system or the presence of competing microbial species. They also underscore the need to obtain diverse samples of P. aeruginosa when developing treatment plans. We suggest that diversification, by generating extensive phenotypic and genetic variation on which selection can act, may be a key first step in the transition from transient to chronic infection.Significance StatementChronic infection with the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the leading cause of lung transplant or death in cystic fibrosis patients. P. aeruginosa diversifies in the CF lung, although why this happens remains a mystery. We allowed P. aeruginosa to evolve in the laboratory under a range of conditions approximating the CF lung. The diversity of evolved populations was highest, and most closely resembled the range of phenotypes among clinical isolates, in environments resembling the spectrum of nutritional resources available in the CF lung. Our results point to the nutritional complexity of the CF lung as a major driver of diversification and they suggest that diversity could be important in the development of chronic infections.


2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Rajkowska ◽  
Anna Otlewska ◽  
Patricia S. Guiamet ◽  
Henryk Wrzosek ◽  
Waldemar Machnowski

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen associated with a broad spectrum of infections in humans. However, the pathogenicity of environmental P. aeruginosa strains, especially isolates from museums and conservation laboratories, is not widely recognized. In this study, the virulence attributes of P. aeruginosa isolated from pre-Columbian textiles were compared to those of a clinical strain. Both genetically identified environmental strains (KP842564 and KP842565) exhibited a high ability to form biofilms on abiotic surfaces and high hemolytic activity. In addition, strain KP842564 was a moderate pyocyanin producer and showed proteolytic properties toward bovine serum albumin, fibrinogen, mucin, and casein. In contrast to the clinical isolate, the environmental strains were susceptible to all the tested antimicrobial agents. The strains also showed high bioadhesion and colonization capacity on archeological textile samples, in which wool fibers were the only source of nutrients, as confirmed by scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDX) analysis. This study highlights the need to identify microorganisms which inhabit historic objects, in order to avoid exposure to occupational hazards. Although the strain KP842565 exhibited only some of the examined virulence-related features, given that the production of pyocyanin and hemolysins as well as the formation of biofilm are important virulence factors of P. aeruginosa, the results indicate that these strains may present a potential health risk for humans.


2008 ◽  
Vol 52 (8) ◽  
pp. 2933-2936 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nimish Patel ◽  
Louise-Anne McNutt ◽  
Thomas P. Lodise

ABSTRACT Contemporary literature lacks a definition of prior antibiotic exposure which captures all patients at risk of developing piperacillin-tazobactam-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PTR-PA). The results indicated that individual antibiotics that are associated with PTR-PA differ depending on the definition of prior antibiotic exposure utilized. When the specific antibiotic used was replaced by the number of prior exposures, the number of exposures was the only variable associated with an increased risk of antibiotic resistance at each time threshold.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 150-163
Author(s):  
Ekajayanti Kining ◽  
Syamsul Falah ◽  
Novik Nurhidayat

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of opportunistic pathogen forming bacterial biofilm. The biofilm sustains the bacterial survival and infections. This study aimed to assess the activity of water extract of papaya leaves on inhibition of cells attachment, growth and degradation of the biofilm using crystal violet (CV) biofilm assay. Research results showed that water extract of papaya leaves contains alkaloids, tanins, flavonoids, and steroids/terpenoids and showed antibacterial activity and antibiofilm against P. aeruginosa. Addition of extract can inhibit the cell attachment and was able to degrade the biofilm of 40.92% and 48.058% respectively at optimum conditions: extract concentration of 25% (v/v), temperature 37.5 °C and contact time 45 minutes. With a concentration of 25% (v/v), temperature of 50 °C and the contact time of 3 days, extract of papaya leaves can inhibit the growth of biofilms of 39.837% v/v.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adriana M. De Mendoza ◽  
Soňa Michlíková ◽  
Johann Berger ◽  
Jens Karschau ◽  
Leoni A. Kunz-Schughart ◽  
...  

AbstractRadiotherapy can effectively kill malignant cells, but the doses required to cure cancer patients may inflict severe collateral damage to adjacent healthy tissues. Recent technological advances in the clinical application has revitalized hyperthermia treatment (HT) as an option to improve radiotherapy (RT) outcomes. Understanding the synergistic effect of simultaneous thermoradiotherapy via mathematical modelling is essential for treatment planning. We here propose a theoretical model in which the thermal enhancement ratio (TER) relates to the cell fraction being radiosensitised by the infliction of sublethal damage through HT. Further damage finally kills the cell or abrogates its proliferative capacity in a non-reversible process. We suggest the TER to be proportional to the energy invested in the sensitisation, which is modelled as a simple rate process. Assuming protein denaturation as the main driver of HT-induced sublethal damage and considering the temperature dependence of the heat capacity of cellular proteins, the sensitisation rates were found to depend exponentially on temperature; in agreement with previous empirical observations. Our findings point towards an improved definition of thermal dose in concordance with the thermodynamics of protein denaturation. Our predictions well reproduce experimental in vitro and in vivo data, explaining the thermal modulation of cellular radioresponse for simultaneous thermoradiotherapy.


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