Shigella sonneiDoes Not Use Amoebae as Protective Hosts
ABSTRACTShigella flexneriandShigella sonneibacteria cause the majority of all shigellosis cases worldwide. However, their distributions differ, withS. sonneipredominating in middle- and high-income countries andS. flexneripredominating in low-income countries. One proposed explanation for the continued range expansion ofS. sonneiis that it can survive in amoebae, which could provide a protective environment for the bacteria. In this study, we demonstrate that while bothS. sonneiandS. flexnerican survive coculture with the free-living amoebaeAcanthamoebae castellanii, bacterial growth is predominantly extracellular. All isolates ofShigellawere degraded following phagocytosis byA. castellanii, unlike those ofLegionella pneumophila, which can replicate intracellularly. Our data suggest thatS. sonneiis not able to use amoebae as a protective host to enhance environmental survival. Therefore, alternative explanations forS. sonneiemergence need to be considered.IMPORTANCEThe distribution ofShigellaspecies closely mirrors a country's socioeconomic conditions. With the transition of many populous nations from low- to middle-income countries,S. sonneiinfections have emerged as a major public health issue. Understanding whyS. sonneiinfections are resistant to improvements in living conditions is key to developing methods to reduce exposure to this pathogen. We show that free-living amoebae are not likely to be environmental hosts ofS. sonnei, as allShigellastrains tested were phagocytosed and degraded by amoebae. Therefore, alternative scenarios are required to explain the emergence and persistence ofS. sonneiinfections.