scholarly journals In Situ Growth Rates and Biofilm Development of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Populations in Chronic Lung Infections

2007 ◽  
Vol 190 (8) ◽  
pp. 2767-2776 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lei Yang ◽  
Janus A. J. Haagensen ◽  
Lars Jelsbak ◽  
Helle Krogh Johansen ◽  
Claus Sternberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Growth Dynamics ◽  
Chronic Infections ◽  
Lung Infections ◽  
New Perspective ◽  
Biofilm Development

ABSTRACT The growth dynamics of bacterial pathogens within infected hosts are a fundamental but poorly understood feature of most infections. We have focused on the in situ distribution and growth characteristics of two prevailing and transmissible Pseudomonas aeruginosa clones that have caused chronic lung infections in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients for more than 20 years. We used fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) directly on sputum specimens to examine the spatial distribution of the infecting P. aeruginosa cells. Mucoid variants were present in sputum as cell clusters surrounded by an extracellular matrix, whereas nonmucoid variants were present mainly as dispersed cells. To obtain estimates of the growth rates of P. aeruginosa in CF lungs, we used quantitative FISH to indirectly measure growth rates of bacteria in sputum samples (reflecting the in vivo lung conditions). The concentration of rRNA in bacteria isolated from sputa was measured and correlated with the rRNA contents of the same bacteria growing in vitro at defined rates. The results showed that most cells were actively growing with doubling times of between 100 and 200 min, with some growing even faster. Only a small stationary-phase subpopulation seemed to be present in sputa. This was found for both mucoid and nonmucoid variants despite their different organizations in sputum. The results suggest that the bacterial population may be confronted with selection forces that favor optimized growth activities. This scenario constitutes a new perspective on the adaptation and evolution of P. aeruginosa during chronic infections in CF patients in particular and on long-term infections in general.

scholarly journals Characterization of a mucoid-like Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilm

Fine Focus ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 121-137
Author(s):  
Brandon M. Bauer ◽  
Lewis Rogers ◽  
Monique Macias ◽  
Gabriella Iacovetti ◽  
Alexander M. Woodrow ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Laser Scanning ◽  
Growth Conditions ◽  
Laser Scanning Microscopy ◽  
Confocal Laser ◽  
Chronic Infections ◽  
Planktonic Bacteria ◽  
The Difference

Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms are implicated in chronic infections. A key element of P. aeruginosapathogenicity is the formation of a biofilm, a community of bacteria encased in an exopolymeric substance (EPS) that shields the bacteria from the host immune response and antibiotic treatment. A crucial step in biofilm production is a switch in motility from freely swimming, planktonic bacteria to twitching movement and then to attached and sedentary bacteria that develop into a mature pillar-shaped biofilm. A mucoid biofilm produces an excess of alginate and is clinically the most pathogenic and the most resistant to antibiotics. Biofilms from patients exhibit a wide variety of structure, motility, and levels of attachment. In vitrobiofilms do not exhibit such a wide variety of structure and physiology. The difference between in vivo and in vitro biofilms has made the translation of in vitro studies into in vivo treatments difficult. Under different growth conditions in our lab, the P. aeruginosa strain PAO1 demonstrates two phenotypes: a non-mucoid and a mucoid-like phenotype. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) indicates the mucoid-like phenotype is intermediate in height to the non-mucoid phenotype and biofilms formed in a once-flow-through chamber. Both mucoid-like and non-mucoid phenotypes exhibit a significant increase in twitching between 24 and 72 hours of development. The mucoid-like phenotype had greater attachment at 72 hours compared to non-mucoid phenotype. Therefore, the two phenotypes observed in our lab may represent the effect of environment to stimulate development of two types of biofilms by PAO1.

The Abundance and Organization of Salmonella Extracellular Polymeric Substances in Gallbladder-Mimicking Environments and In Vivo

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark M. Hahn ◽  
Juan F. González ◽  
Regan Hitt ◽  
Lauren Tucker ◽  
John S. Gunn
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Organization ◽  
Extracellular Polymeric Substances ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Chronic Infections ◽  
Human Bile ◽  
Cholesterol Gallstones ◽  
Coated Surfaces ◽  
Biofilm Development

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi ( S. Typhi ) causes chronic infections by establishing biofilms on cholesterol gallstones. Production of extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) is key to biofilm development and biofilm architecture depends on which EPSs are made. The presence and spatial distribution of Salmonella EPSs produced in vitro and in vivo were investigated in S. Typhi murium and S. Typhi biofilms by confocal microscopy. Comparisons between serovars and EPS-mutant bacteria were examined by growth on cholesterol-coated surfaces, with human gallstones in ox or human bile, and in mice with gallstones. On cholesterol-coated surfaces, major differences in EPS biomass were not found between serovars. Co-culture biofilms containing wild-type (WT) and EPS-mutant bacteria demonstrated WT compensation for EPS mutations. Biofilm EPS analysis from gallbladder-mimicking conditions found that culture in human bile more consistently replicated the relative abundance and spatial organization of each EPS on gallstones from the chronic mouse model than culture in ox bile. S. Typhi murium biofilms cultured in vitro on gallstones in ox bile exhibited co-localized pairings of curli fimbriae/lipopolysaccharide and O antigen capsule/cellulose while these associations were not present in S. Typhi biofilms or in mouse gallstone biofilms. In general, inclusion of human bile with gallstones in vitro replicated biofilm development on gallstones in vivo , demonstrating its strength as a model for studying biofilm parameters or EPS-directed therapeutic treatments.

scholarly journals Emergent Bacteria in Cystic Fibrosis:In VitroBiofilm Formation and Resilience under Variable Oxygen Conditions

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susana P. Lopes ◽  
Nuno F. Azevedo ◽  
Maria O. Pereira
Keyword(s):  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Low Oxygen ◽  
Antibiotic Susceptibilities ◽  
Oxygen Conditions ◽  
Mode Of Life ◽  
Lung Infections ◽  
Biofilm Development ◽  
The Impact

Concurrent to conventional bacterial pathogens, unusual microbes are emerging from cystic fibrosis (CF) airways. Nonetheless, little is known about the contribution of these newly microbes to the resilience of CF-associated biofilms, particularly under variable-oxygen concentrations that are known to occurin vivoin the mucus of CF patients. Two CF-emergent bacterial species,Inquilinus limosusandDolosigranulum pigrum, and the major pathogenPseudomonas aeruginosawere studied in terms of biofilm development and antibiotic susceptibilities underin vitroatmospheres with different oxygen availabilities. All species were able to developin vitrobiofilms under different oxygen-available environments, withD. pigrumaccumulating high amounts of biomass and respiratory activities. When established, biofilms were of difficult eradication, with antibiotics losing their effectiveness in comparison with the corresponding planktonic populations. Surprisingly, biofilms of each emergent organism displayed multidrug resistance under aerobic environments, enduring even in low-oxygen atmospheres. This study suggests a potential prospect on the impact of nonconventional organismsI. limosusandD. pigrumon CF lung infections, demonstrating capacity to adapt to biofilm mode of life under restricted-oxygen atmospheres resembling CF airways, which may ultimately endanger the efficacy of currently used antibiotic regimens.

scholarly journals Polymorphonuclear Leukocytes Restrict Growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the Lungs of Cystic Fibrosis Patients

2014 ◽  
Vol 82 (11) ◽  
pp. 4477-4486 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kasper N. Kragh ◽  
Morten Alhede ◽  
Peter Ø. Jensen ◽  
Claus Moser ◽  
Thomas Scheike ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cystic Fibrosis ◽  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Polymorphonuclear Leukocytes ◽  
Growth Patterns ◽  
Tissue Samples ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Growth Physiology

ABSTRACTCystic fibrosis (CF) patients have increased susceptibility to chronic lung infections byPseudomonas aeruginosa, but the ecophysiology within the CF lung during infections is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to elucidate thein vivogrowth physiology ofP. aeruginosawithin lungs of chronically infected CF patients. A novel, quantitative peptide nucleic acid (PNA) fluorescencein situhybridization (PNA-FISH)-based method was used to estimate thein vivogrowth rates ofP. aeruginosadirectly in lung tissue samples from CF patients and the growth rates ofP. aeruginosain infected lungs in a mouse model. The growth rate ofP. aeruginosawithin CF lungs did not correlate with the dimensions of bacterial aggregates but showed an inverse correlation to the concentration of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) surrounding the bacteria. A growth-limiting effect onP. aeruginosaby PMNs was also observedin vitro, where this limitation was alleviated in the presence of the alternative electron acceptor nitrate. The finding thatP. aeruginosagrowth patterns correlate with the number of surrounding PMNs points to a bacteriostatic effect by PMNs via their strong O2consumption, which slows the growth ofP. aeruginosain infected CF lungs. In support of this, the growth ofP. aeruginosawas significantly higher in the respiratory airways than in the conducting airways of mice. These results indicate a complex host-pathogen interaction in chronicP. aeruginosainfection of the CF lung whereby PMNs slow the growth of the bacteria and render them less susceptible to antibiotic treatment while enabling them to persist by anaerobic respiration.

scholarly journals Use of a Multiplex Transcript Method for Analysis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Gene Expression Profiles in the Cystic Fibrosis Lung

2016 ◽  
Vol 84 (10) ◽  
pp. 2995-3006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex H. Gifford ◽  
Sven D. Willger ◽  
Emily L. Dolben ◽  
Lisa A. Moulton ◽  
Dana B. Dorman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Cystic Fibrosis ◽  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Expression Profiles ◽  
Clinical Isolates ◽  
Probe Design ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Lung Infections

The discovery of therapies that modulatePseudomonas aeruginosavirulence or that can eradicate chronicP. aeruginosalung infections associated with cystic fibrosis (CF) will be advanced by an improved understanding ofP. aeruginosabehaviorin vivo. We demonstrate the use of multiplexed Nanostring technology to monitor relative abundances ofP. aeruginosatranscripts across clinical isolates, in serial samples, and for the purposes of comparing microbial physiologyin vitroandin vivo. The expression of 75 transcripts encoded by genes implicated in CF lung disease was measured in a variety ofP. aeruginosastrains as well as RNA serial sputum samples from fourP. aeruginosa-colonized subjects with CF collected over 6 months. We present data on reproducibility, the results from different methods of normalization, and demonstrate high concordance between transcript relative abundance data obtained by Nanostring or transcriptome sequencing (RNA-Seq) analysis. Furthermore, we address considerations regarding sequence variation between strains during probe design. Analysis ofP. aeruginosagrownin vitroidentified transcripts that correlated with the different phenotypes commonly observed in CF clinical isolates.P. aeruginosatranscript profiles in RNA from CF sputum indicated alginate productionin vivo, and transcripts involved in quorum-sensing regulation were less abundant in sputum than strains grown in the laboratory.P. aeruginosagene expression patterns from sputum clustered closely together relative to patterns for laboratory-grown cultures; in contrast, laboratory-grownP. aeruginosashowed much greater transcriptional variation with only loose clustering of strains with different phenotypes. The clustering within and between subjects was surprising in light of differences in inhaled antibiotic and respiratory symptoms, suggesting that the pathways represented by these 75 transcripts are stable in chronic CFP. aeruginosalung infections.

scholarly journals Revealing the in vivo growth and division patterns of mouse gut bacteria

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (36) ◽  
pp. eabb2531
Author(s):  
Liyuan Lin ◽  
Qiuyue Wu ◽  
Jia Song ◽  
Yahui Du ◽  
Juan Gao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acid ◽  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Growth Dynamics ◽  
Gut Bacteria ◽  
Metabolic Labeling ◽  
Taxonomic Identification ◽  
In Vivo Growth

Current techniques for studying gut microbiota are unable to answer some important microbiology questions, like how different bacteria grow and divide in the gut. We propose a method that integrates the use of sequential d-amino acid–based in vivo metabolic labeling with fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), for characterizing the growth and division patterns of gut bacteria. After sequentially administering two d-amino acid–based probes containing different fluorophores to mice by gavage, the resulting dual-labeled peptidoglycans provide temporal information on cell wall synthesis of gut bacteria. Following taxonomic identification with FISH probes, the growth and division patterns of the corresponding bacterial taxa, including species that cannot be cultured separately in vitro, are revealed. Our method offers a facile yet powerful tool for investigating the in vivo growth dynamics of the bacterial gut microbiota, which will advance our understanding of bacterial cytology and facilitate elucidation of the basic microbiology of this gut “dark matter.”

scholarly journals Modulation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Biofilm Dispersal by a Cyclic-Di-GMP Phosphodiesterase with a Putative Hypoxia-Sensing Domain

2010 ◽  
Vol 76 (24) ◽  
pp. 8160-8173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuwen An ◽  
Ji'en Wu ◽  
Lian-Hui Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Regulatory Protein ◽  
Phosphodiesterase Activity ◽  
Low Oxygen ◽  
Ggdef Domain ◽  
Biofilm Dispersal ◽  
Biofilm Development

ABSTRACT Pseudomonas aeruginosa encodes many enzymes that are potentially associated with the synthesis or degradation of the widely conserved second messenger cyclic-di-GMP (c-di-GMP). In this study, we show that mutation of rbdA, which encodes a fusion protein consisting of PAS-PAC-GGDEF-EAL multidomains, results in decreased biofilm dispersal. RbdA contains a highly conserved GGDEF domain and EAL domain, which are involved in the synthesis and degradation of c-di-GMP, respectively. However, in vivo and in vitro analyses show that the full-length RbdA protein only displays phosphodiesterase activity, causing c-di-GMP degradation. Further analysis reveals that the GGDEF domain of RbdA plays a role in activating the phosphodiesterase activity of the EAL domain in the presence of GTP. Moreover, we show that deletion of the PAS domain or substitution of the key residues implicated in sensing low-oxygen stress abrogates the functionality of RbdA. Subsequent study showed that RbdA is involved in positive regulation of bacterial motility and production of rhamnolipids, which are associated with biofilm dispersal, and in negative regulation of production of exopolysaccharides, which are required for biofilm formation. These data indicate that the c-di-GMP-degrading regulatory protein RbdA promotes biofilm dispersal through its two-pronged effects on biofilm development, i.e., downregulating biofilm formation and upregulating production of the factors associated with biofilm dispersal.

scholarly journals Pseudomonas aeruginosa Forms Biofilms in Acute Infection Independent of Cell-to-Cell Signaling

2007 ◽  
Vol 75 (8) ◽  
pp. 3715-3721 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Andy Schaber ◽  
W. Jeffrey Triffo ◽  
Sang Jin Suh ◽  
Jeffrey W. Oliver ◽  
Mary Catherine Hastert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Bacterial Colonization ◽  
Acute Infection ◽  
Opportunistic Pathogen ◽  
Confocal Scanning Laser Microscopy ◽  
Chronic Infections ◽  
Signaling Mechanism ◽  
Confocal Scanning Laser

ABSTRACT Biofilms are bacterial communities residing within a polysaccharide matrix that are associated with persistence and antibiotic resistance in chronic infections. We show that the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa forms biofilms within 8 h of infection in thermally injured mice, demonstrating that biofilms contribute to bacterial colonization in acute infections as well. Using light, electron, and confocal scanning laser microscopy, P. aeruginosa biofilms were visualized within burned tissue surrounding blood vessels and adipose cells. Although quorum sensing (QS), a bacterial signaling mechanism, coordinates differentiation of biofilms in vitro, wild-type and QS-deficient P. aeruginosa strains formed similar biofilms in vivo. Our findings demonstrate that P. aeruginosa forms biofilms on specific host tissues independently of QS.

scholarly journals Influence of condensation domains on activity and specificity of adenylation domains

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janik Kranz ◽  
Sebastian L. Wenski ◽  
Alexnder A. Dichter ◽  
Helge B. Bode ◽  
Kenan A. J. Bozhueyuek
Keyword(s):  
Structural Features ◽  
Peptide Synthetases ◽  
In Situ Experiments ◽  
The Subject ◽  
New Perspective ◽  
Condensation Domain

Many clinically used natural products are produced by non-ribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs), which due to their modular nature should be accessible to modification and engineering approaches. While the adenylation domain (A) plays the key role in substrate recognition and activation, the condensation domain (C) which is responsible for substrate linkage and stereochemical filtering recently became the subject of debate - with its attributed role as a "gatekeeper" being called into question. Since we have thoroughly investigated different combinations of C-A didomains in a series of in vitro, in vivo, and in situ experiments suggesting an important role to the C-A interface for the activity and specificity of the downstream A domain and not the C domain as such, we would like to contribute to this discussion. The role of the C-A interface, termed 'extended gatekeeping', due to structural features of the C domains, can also be transferred to other NRPSs by engineering, was finally investigated and characterised in an in silico approach on 30 wild-type and recombinant C-A interfaces. With these data, we not only would like to offer a new perspective on the specificity of C domains, but also to revise our previously established NRPS engineering and construction rules.

scholarly journals Long-term evolution of antibiotic persistence in P. aeruginosa lung infections

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melanie Ghoul ◽  
Sandra B Andersen ◽  
Helle Krogh Johansen ◽  
Lars Jelsbak ◽  
Søren Molin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Resistance Mechanisms ◽  
Term Evolution ◽  
Bacterial Clone ◽  
Evolution Of Resistance ◽  
Lung Infections

Pathogenic bacteria respond to antibiotic pressure with the evolution of resistance but survival can also depend on their ability to tolerate antibiotic treatment, known as persistence. While a variety of resistance mechanisms and underlying genetics are well characterised in vitro and in vivo, the evolution of persistence, and how it interacts with resistance in situ is less well understood. We assayed for persistence and resistance with three clinically relevant antibiotics: meropenem, ciprofloxacin and tobramycin, in isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa from chronic cystic fibrosis lung infections spanning up to forty years of evolution. We find evidence that persistence is under positive selection in the lung and that it can particularly act as an evolutionary stepping stone to resistance. However, this pattern is not universal and depends on the bacterial clone type and antibiotic used, indicating an important role for antibiotic mode of action.

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