scholarly journals Fusidic Acid-Resistant Mutants of Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium with Low Fitness In Vivo Are Defective in RpoS Induction

2003 ◽  
Vol 47 (12) ◽  
pp. 3743-3749 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirjana Macvanin ◽  
Johanna Björkman ◽  
Sofia Eriksson ◽  
Mikael Rhen ◽  
Dan I. Andersson ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Mutants of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium resistant to fusidic acid (Fusr) have mutations in fusA, the gene encoding translation elongation factor G (EF-G). Most Fusr mutants have reduced fitness in vitro and in vivo, in part explained by mutant EF-G slowing the rate of protein synthesis and growth. However, some Fusr mutants with normal rates of protein synthesis still suffer from reduced fitness in vivo. As shown here, Fusr mutants could be similarly ranked in their relative fitness in mouse infection models, in a macrophage infection model, in their relative hypersensitivity to hydrogen peroxide in vivo and in vitro, and in the amount of RpoS production induced upon entry into the stationary phase. We identify a reduced ability to induce production of RpoS (σs) as a defect associated with Fusr strains. Because RpoS is a regulator of the general stress response, and an important virulence factor in Salmonella, an inability to produce RpoS in appropriate amounts can explain the low fitness of Fusr strains in vivo. The unfit Fusr mutants also produce reduced levels of the regulatory molecule ppGpp in response to starvation. Because ppGpp is a positive regulator of RpoS production, we suggest that a possible cause of the reduced levels of RpoS is the reduction in ppGpp production associated with mutant EF-G. The low fitness of Fusr mutants in vivo suggests that drugs that can alter the levels of global regulators of gene expression deserve attention as potential antimicrobial agents.

2000 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 533-539 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol Cordeiro ◽  
David J. Wiseman ◽  
Peter Lutwyche ◽  
Mitchell Uh ◽  
Jennifer C. Evans ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Encapsulation of gentamicin in liposomes can be used to achieve intracellular delivery and broaden the clinical utility of this drug. We have previously described a novel, rationally designed, pH-sensitive liposomal carrier for gentamicin that has superior in vitro efficacy against intracellular infections compared to the efficacies of both free gentamicin and non-pH-sensitive liposomal controls. This liposomal carrier demonstrated pH-sensitive fusion that was dependent on the presence of unsaturated phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and the pH-sensitive lipid N-succinyldioleoyl-PE. The pharmacokinetics and biodistribution of the free and liposomal gentamicin were examined in mice bearing a systemic Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium infection. Encapsulation of gentamicin in pH-sensitive liposomes significantly increased the concentrations of the drug in plasma compared to those of free gentamicin. Furthermore, the levels of accumulation of drug in the infected liver and spleen were increased by 153- and 437-fold, respectively, as a result of liposomal encapsulation. The increased accumulation of gentamicin in the liver and spleen effected by liposomal delivery was associated with 104-fold greater antibacterial activity than that associated with free gentamicin in a murine salmonellosis model. These pH-sensitive liposomal antibiotic carriers with enhanced in vitro activity could be used to improve both in vivo intracellular drug delivery and biological activity.


2015 ◽  
Vol 59 (4) ◽  
pp. 2113-2121 ◽  
Author(s):  
U. Malik ◽  
O. N. Silva ◽  
I. C. M. Fensterseifer ◽  
L. Y. Chan ◽  
R. J. Clark ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTStaphylococcus aureusis a virulent pathogen that is responsible for a wide range of superficial and invasive infections. Its resistance to existing antimicrobial drugs is a global problem, and the development of novel antimicrobial agents is crucial. Antimicrobial peptides from natural resources offer potential as new treatments against staphylococcal infections. In the current study, we have examined the antimicrobial properties of peptides isolated from anuran skin secretions and cyclized synthetic analogues of these peptides. The structures of the peptides were elucidated by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, revealing high structural and sequence similarity with each other and with sunflower trypsin inhibitor 1 (SFTI-1). SFTI-1 is an ultrastable cyclic peptide isolated from sunflower seeds that has subnanomolar trypsin inhibitory activity, and this scaffold offers pharmaceutically relevant characteristics. The five anuran peptides were nonhemolytic and noncytotoxic and had trypsin inhibitory activities similar to that of SFTI-1. They demonstrated weakin vitroinhibitory activities againstS. aureus, but several had strong antibacterial activities againstS. aureusin anin vivomurine wound infection model. pYR, an immunomodulatory peptide fromRana sevosa, was the most potent, with complete bacterial clearance at 3 mg · kg−1. Cyclization of the peptides improved their stability but was associated with a concomitant decrease in antimicrobial activity. In summary, these anuran peptides are promising as novel therapeutic agents for treating infections from a clinically resistant pathogen.


2018 ◽  
Vol 86 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vivek Belde ◽  
Matthew P. Cravens ◽  
Dania Gulandijany ◽  
Justin A. Walker ◽  
Isabel Palomo-Caturla ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTB cell antigen receptor (BCR) diversity increases by several orders of magnitude due to the action of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) during V(D)J recombination. Unlike adults, infants have limited BCR diversity, in part due to reduced expression of TdT. Since human infants and young mice respond poorly to polysaccharide vaccines, such as the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine Pneumovax23 and Vi polysaccharide (ViPS) ofSalmonella entericaserovar Typhi, we tested the contribution of TdT-mediated BCR diversity in response to these vaccines. We found that TdT+/−and TdT−/−mice generated comparable antibody responses to Pneumovax23 and survivedStreptococcus pneumoniaechallenge. Moreover, passive immunization of B cell-deficient mice with serum from Pneumovax23-immunized TdT+/−or TdT−/−mice conferred protection. TdT+/−and TdT−/−mice generated comparable levels of anti-ViPS antibodies and antibody-dependent, complement-mediated bactericidal activity againstS. Typhiin vitro. To test the protective immunity conferred by ViPS immunizationin vivo, TdT+/−and TdT−/−mice were challenged with a chimericSalmonella entericaserovar Typhimurium strain expressing ViPS, since mice are nonpermissive hosts forS. Typhi infection. Compared to their unimmunized counterparts, immunized TdT+/−and TdT−/−mice challenged with ViPS-expressingS. Typhimurium exhibited a significant reduction in the bacterial burden and liver pathology. These data suggest that the impaired antibody response to the Pneumovax23 and ViPS vaccines in the young is not due to limited TdT-mediated BCR diversification.


2005 ◽  
Vol 73 (12) ◽  
pp. 8433-8436 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. A. Fadl ◽  
J. Sha ◽  
G. R. Klimpel ◽  
J. P. Olano ◽  
C. L. Galindo ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT We constructed Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium double-knockout mutants in which either the lipoprotein A (lppA) or the lipoprotein B (lppB) gene was deleted from an msbB-negative background strain by marker exchange mutagenesis. These mutants were highly attenuated when tested with in vitro and in vivo models of Salmonella pathogenesis.


2004 ◽  
Vol 186 (16) ◽  
pp. 5230-5238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Radha Krishnakumar ◽  
Maureen Craig ◽  
James A. Imlay ◽  
James M. Slauch

ABSTRACT Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium produces two Cu/Zn cofactored periplasmic superoxide dismutases, SodCI and SodCII. While mutations in sodCI attenuate virulence eightfold, loss of SodCII does not confer a virulence phenotype, nor does it enhance the defect observed in a sodCI background. Despite this in vivo phenotype, SodCI and SodCII are expressed at similar levels in vitro during the stationary phase of growth. By exchanging the open reading frames of sodCI and sodCII, we found that SodCI contributes to virulence when placed under the control of the sodCII promoter. In contrast, SodCII does not contribute to virulence even when expressed from the sodCI promoter. Thus, the disparity in virulence phenotypes is due primarily to some physical difference between the two enzymes. In an attempt to identify the unique property of SodCI, we have tested factors that might affect enzyme activity inside a phagosome. We found no significant difference between SodCI and SodCII in their resistance to acid, resistance to hydrogen peroxide, or ability to obtain copper in a copper-limiting environment. Both enzymes are synthesized as apoenzymes in the absence of copper and can be fully remetallated when copper is added. The one striking difference that we noted is that, whereas SodCII is released normally by an osmotic shock, SodCI is “tethered” within the periplasm by an apparently noncovalent interaction. We propose that this novel property of SodCI is crucial to its ability to contribute to virulence in serovar Typhimurium.


2001 ◽  
Vol 69 (12) ◽  
pp. 7413-7418 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tahar van der Straaten ◽  
Angela van Diepen ◽  
Kitty Kwappenberg ◽  
Sjaak van Voorden ◽  
Kees Franken ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Upon contact with host cells, the intracellular pathogenSalmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium promotes its uptake, targeting, and survival in intracellular niches. In this process, the bacterium evades the microbicidal effector mechanisms of the macrophage, including oxygen intermediates. This study reports the phenotypic and genotypic characterization of an S. enterica serovar Typhimurium mutant that is hypersusceptible to superoxide. The susceptible phenotype is due to a MudJ insertion-inactivation of a previously undescribedSalmonella gene designated sspJ that is located between 54.4 and 64 min of the Salmonellachromosome and encodes a 392-amino-acid protein. In vivo, upon intraperitoneal injection of 104 to 107bacteria in C3H/HeN and 101 to 104 bacteria in BALB/c mice, the mutant strain was less virulent than the wild type. Consistent with this finding, during the first hour after ingestion by macrophage-like J774 and RAW264.7 cells in vitro, the intracellular killing of the strain carrying sspJ::MudJ is enhanced fivefold over that of wild-type microorganisms. Wild-type salmonellae displayed significant intracellular replication during the first 24 h after uptake, but sspJ::MudJ mutants failed to do so. This phenotype could be restored to that of the wild type by sspJ complementation. The SspJ protein is found in the cytoplasmic membrane and periplasmic space. Amino acid sequence homology analysis did reveal a leader sequence and putative pyrroloquinoline quinone-binding domains, but no putative protein function. We excluded the possibility that SspJ is a scavenger of superoxide or has superoxide dismutase activity.


2001 ◽  
Vol 69 (7) ◽  
pp. 4673-4677 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris A. Allen ◽  
Paula J. Fedorka-Cray ◽  
Andrés Vazquez-Torres ◽  
Mitsu Suyemoto ◽  
Craig Altier ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Multidrug-resistant Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium phage type DT104 has become a widespread cause of human and other animal infection worldwide. The severity of clinical illness inS. enterica serovar Typhimurium DT104 outbreaks has led to the suggestion that this strain possesses enhanced virulence. In the present study, in vitro and in vivo virulence-associated phenotypes of several clinical isolates of S. enterica serovar Typhimurium DT104 were examined and compared to S. entericaserovar Typhimurium ATCC 14028s. The ability of these DT104 isolates to survive within murine peritoneal macrophages, invade cultured epithelial cells, resist antimicrobial actions of reactive oxygen and nitrogen compounds, and cause lethal infection in mice were assessed. Our results failed to demonstrate that S. enterica serovar Typhimurium DT104 isolates are more virulent than S. enterica serovar Typhimurium ATCC 14028s.


Pharmaceutics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iman S. Ahmed ◽  
Osama S. Elnahas ◽  
Nouran H. Assar ◽  
Amany M. Gad ◽  
Rania El Hosary

With the alarming rise in incidence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and the scarcity of newly developed antibiotics, it is imperative that we design more effective formulations for already marketed antimicrobial agents. Fusidic acid (FA), one of the most widely used antibiotics in the topical treatment of several skin and eye infections, suffers from poor water-solubility, sub-optimal therapeutic efficacy, and a significant rise in FA-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (FRSA). In this work, the physico-chemical characteristics of FA were modified by nanocrystallization and lyophilization to improve its therapeutic efficacy through the dermal route. FA-nanocrystals (NC) were prepared using a modified nanoprecipitation technique and the influence of several formulation/process variables on the prepared FA-NC characteristics were optimized using full factorial statistical design. The optimized FA-NC formulation was evaluated before and after lyophilization by several in-vitro, ex-vivo, and microbiological tests. Furthermore, the lyophilized FA-NC formulation was incorporated into a cream product and its topical antibacterial efficacy was assessed in vivo using a rat excision wound infection model. Surface morphology of optimized FA-NC showed spherical particles with a mean particle size of 115 nm, span value of 1.6 and zeta potential of −11.6 mV. Differential scanning calorimetry and powder X-ray diffractometry confirmed the crystallinity of FA following nanocrystallization and lyophilization. In-vitro results showed a 10-fold increase in the saturation solubility of FA-NC while ex-vivo skin permeation studies showed a 2-fold increase in FA dermal deposition from FA-NC compared to coarse FA. Microbiological studies revealed a 4-fofd decrease in the MIC against S. aureus and S. epidermidis from FA-NC cream compared to commercial Fucidin cream. In-vivo results showed that FA-NC cream improved FA distribution and enhanced bacterial exposure in the infected wound, resulting in increased therapeutic efficacy when compared to coarse FA marketed as Fucidin cream.


2009 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. 914-926 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristiano G. Moreira ◽  
David Weinshenker ◽  
Vanessa Sperandio

ABSTRACT The autoinducer-3 (AI-3)/epinephrine (Epi)/norepinephrine (NE) interkingdom signaling system mediates chemical communication between bacteria and their mammalian hosts. The three signals are sensed by the QseC histidine kinase (HK) sensor. Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium is a pathogen that uses HKs to sense its environment and regulate virulence. Salmonella serovar Typhimurium invades epithelial cells and survives within macrophages. Invasion of epithelial cells is mediated by the type III secretion system (T3SS) encoded in Salmonella pathogenicity island 1 (SPI-1), while macrophage survival and systemic disease are mediated by the T3SS encoded in SPI-2. Here we show that QseC plays an important role in Salmonella serovar Typhimurium pathogenicity. A qseC mutant was impaired in flagellar motility, in invasion of epithelial cells, and in survival within macrophages and was attenuated for systemic infection in 129x1/SvJ mice. QseC acts globally, regulating expression of genes within SPI-1 and SPI-2 in vitro and in vivo (during infection of mice). Additionally, dopamine β-hydroxylase knockout (Dbh − / −) mice that do not produce Epi or NE showed different susceptibility to Salmonella serovar Typhimurium infection than wild-type mice. These data suggest that the AI-3/Epi/NE signaling system is a key factor during Salmonella serovar Typhimurium pathogenesis in vitro and in vivo. Elucidation of the role of this interkingdom signaling system in Salmonella serovar Typhimurium should contribute to a better understanding of the complex interplay between the pathogen and the host during infection.


2001 ◽  
Vol 69 (5) ◽  
pp. 3021-3030 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack S. Ikeda ◽  
Clare K. Schmitt ◽  
Stephen C. Darnell ◽  
Patricia R. Watson ◽  
Jennifer Bispham ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Although Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium can undergo phase variation to alternately express two different types of flagellin subunit proteins, FljB or FliC, no biological function for this phenomenon has been described. In this investigation, we constructed phase-locked derivatives of S. enterica serovar Typhimurium that expressed only FljB (termed locked-ON) or FliC (termed locked-OFF). The role of phase variation in models of enteric and systemic pathogenesis was then evaluated. There were no differences between the wild-type parent strain and the two phase-locked derivatives in adherence and invasion of mouse epithelial cells in vitro, survival in mouse peritoneal macrophages, or in a bovine model of gastroenteritis. By contrast, the locked-OFF mutant was virulent in mice following oral or intravenous (i.v.) inoculation but the locked-ON mutant was attenuated. When these phase-locked mutants were compared in studies of i.v. kinetics in mice, similar numbers of the two strains were isolated from the blood and spleens of infected animals at 6 and 24 h. However, the locked-OFF mutant was recovered from the blood and spleens in significantly greater numbers than the locked-ON strain by day 2 of infection. By 5 days postinfection, a majority of the mice infected with the locked-OFF mutant had died compared with none of the mice infected with the locked-ON mutant. These results suggest that phase variation is not involved in the intestinal stage of infection but that once S. enterica serovar Typhimurium reaches the spleens of susceptible mice those organisms in the FliC phase can grow and/or survive better than those in the FljB phase. Additional experiments with wild-type S. enterica serovar Typhimurium, fully capable of switching flagellin type, supported this hypothesis. We conclude that organisms that have switched to the FliC+phase have a selective advantage in the mouse model of typhoid fever but have no such advantage in invasion of epithelial cells or the induction of enteropathogenesis.


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