scholarly journals Lack of Sphingosine Causes Susceptibility to Pulmonary Staphylococcus Aureus Infections in Cystic Fibrosis

2016 ◽  
Vol 38 (6) ◽  
pp. 2094-2102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaghayegh Tavakoli Tabazavareh ◽  
Aaron Seitz ◽  
Peter Jernigan ◽  
Carolin Sehl ◽  
Simone Keitsch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cystic Fibrosis ◽  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Pulmonary Infection ◽  
Bacterial Survival ◽  
Pulmonary Infections ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
High Susceptibility ◽  
Bronchial Epithelial

Background: Pulmonary Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) infections occur early in a high percentage of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients and it is believed that these infections facilitate further colonization of CF lungs with Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa). Previous studies demonstrated a marked reduction of sphingosine in tracheal and bronchial epithelial cells in CF compared to wild type mice, while ceramide is massively increased in CF mice. Methods: We investigated the effect of C18-sphingosine and C16-ceramide on S. aureus in vitro. Based on our results we performed pulmonary infections with S. aureus and tested the influence of sphingosine inhalation. Results: In vitro incubation of S. aureus with C18-sphingosine rapidly killed S. aureus, while C16-ceramide did not affect bacterial survival, but abrogated the effect of C18-sphingosine when applied together. The in vivo infection experiments revealed a high susceptibility of CF mice to pulmonary infection with S. aureus. Inhalation of C18-sphingosine rescued CF mice from pulmonary infections with different clinical S. aureus isolates, including a methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) strain. Conclusions: Our data indicate that the imbalance between ceramide and sphingosine in the CF respiratory tract prevents killing of S. aureus and causes the high susceptibility of CF mice to pulmonary S. aureus infections.

Pulmonary infection of cystic fibrosis mice with Staphylococcus aureus requires expression of α-toxin

2018 ◽  
Vol 399 (10) ◽  
pp. 1203-1213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simone Keitsch ◽  
Joachim Riethmüller ◽  
Matthias Soddemann ◽  
Carolin Sehl ◽  
Barbara Wilker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cystic Fibrosis ◽  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Epithelial Cells ◽  
Pulmonary Infection ◽  
Severe Pneumonia ◽  
Pulmonary Infections ◽  
Acid Ceramidase ◽  
Bronchial Epithelial ◽  
Infection Susceptibility

Abstract Pulmonary infections of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients with Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) occur very early in the disease. The molecular details that cause infection-susceptibility of CF patients to and mediate infection with S. aureus are poorly characterized. Therefore, we aimed to identify the role of α-toxin, a major S. aureus toxin, for pulmonary infection of CF mice. Infection with S. aureus JE2 resulted in severe pneumonia in CF mice, while wildtype mice were almost unaffected. Deficiency of α-toxin in JE2-Δhla reduced the pathogenicity of S. aureus in CF mice. However, CF mice were still more susceptible to the mutant S. aureus strain than wildtype mice. The S. aureus JE2 induced a marked increase of ceramide and a downregulation of sphingosine and acid ceramidase expression in bronchi of CF mice. Deletion of α-toxin reduced these changes after infection of CF mice. Similar changes were observed in wildtype mice, but at much lower levels. Our data indicate that expression of α-toxin is a major factor causing S. aureus infections in CF mice. Wildtype S. aureus induces a marked increase of ceramide and a reduction of sphingosine and acid ceramidase expression in bronchial epithelial cells of wildtype and CF mice, changes that determine infection susceptibility.

scholarly journals FtsZ-Dependent Elongation of a Coccoid Bacterium

mBio ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana R. Pereira ◽  
Jen Hsin ◽  
Ewa Król ◽  
Andreia C. Tavares ◽  
Pierre Flores ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Cell Shape ◽  
Single Point ◽  
Spherical Shape ◽  
Single Point Mutation ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Dead End ◽  
Dynamics Simulations

ABSTRACT A mechanistic understanding of the determination and maintenance of the simplest bacterial cell shape, a sphere, remains elusive compared with that of more complex shapes. Cocci seem to lack a dedicated elongation machinery, and a spherical shape has been considered an evolutionary dead-end morphology, as a transition from a spherical to a rod-like shape has never been observed in bacteria. Here we show that a Staphylococcus aureus mutant (M5) expressing the ftsZ G193D allele exhibits elongated cells. Molecular dynamics simulations and in vitro studies indicate that FtsZ G193D filaments are more twisted and shorter than wild-type filaments. In vivo , M5 cell wall deposition is initiated asymmetrically, only on one side of the cell, and progresses into a helical pattern rather than into a constricting ring as in wild-type cells. This helical pattern of wall insertion leads to elongation, as in rod-shaped cells. Thus, structural flexibility of FtsZ filaments can result in an FtsZ-dependent mechanism for generating elongated cells from cocci. IMPORTANCE The mechanisms by which bacteria generate and maintain even the simplest cell shape remain an elusive but fundamental question in microbiology. In the absence of examples of coccus-to-rod transitions, the spherical shape has been suggested to be an evolutionary dead end in morphogenesis. We describe the first observation of the generation of elongated cells from truly spherical cocci, occurring in a Staphylococcus aureus mutant containing a single point mutation in its genome, in the gene encoding the bacterial tubulin homologue FtsZ. We demonstrate that FtsZ-dependent cell elongation is possible, even in the absence of dedicated elongation machinery.

scholarly journals Protective Signatures of Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) Calyx Fractions against Staphylococcus aureus in Drosophila Infection Model

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 306
Author(s):  
Firzan Nainu ◽  
M. Natsir Djide ◽  
Subehan Subehan ◽  
Sartini Sartini ◽  
Tri Puspita Roska ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Early Death ◽  
Luciferase Reporter ◽  
Infection Model ◽  
Hibiscus Sabdariffa ◽  
Immune Stimulation ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Toll Pathway

The rise of antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus-related clinical cases is an alarming chronicle for global communities. This research was conducted to examine the antistaphylococcal effect of roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) calyx fractions in the Drosophila model. In the infection experiment, wild-type and immunodeficient Drosophila were pricked with S. aureus and subsequently subjected to fly survivorship and colony-forming assays, in the presence or absence of roselle calyx fractions. The Involvement of immune stimulation in the host antibacterial protection was assessed in vitro using cell-based luciferase reporter assay and in vivo using RT-qPCR analysis on adult flies. A declining rate of fly survivorship and augmentation of bacterial growth were observable in S. aureus-infected wild-type flies but subject to improvement in the presence of roselle calyx fractions. Cell-based analysis revealed the absence of host immune stimulation via Drosophila Toll pathway and roselle calyx fractions-treated immune-deficient flies lacking for components in the Toll pathway were protected from infection-induced early death phenotype and harbored reduced number of S. aureus colonies. Overall, our data confirmed the in vivo anti-staphylococcal activity of roselle calyx fractions in Drosophila infection model and such protective signature was devoid of host immune stimulation.

scholarly journals Tedizolid is a promising antimicrobial option for the treatment of Staphylococcus aureus infections in cystic fibrosis patients

2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
pp. 126-134
Author(s):  
Melanie Roch ◽  
Maria Celeste Varela ◽  
Agustina Taglialegna ◽  
Adriana E Rosato
Keyword(s):  
Cystic Fibrosis ◽  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Therapeutic Option ◽  
Protein Synthesis Inhibitor ◽  
Synthesis Inhibitor ◽  
Small Colony Variant ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Time Kill

Abstract Background Tedizolid is a protein synthesis inhibitor in clinical use for the treatment of Gram-positive infections. Pulmonary MRSA infections are a growing problem in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) and the efficacy of tedizolid-based therapy in CF pulmonary infections is unknown. Objectives To evaluate the in vitro and in vivo activity of tedizolid and predict the likelihood of tedizolid resistance selection in CF-background Staphylococcus aureus strains. Methods A collection of 330 S. aureus strains (from adult and paediatric patients), either of normal or small colony variant (SCV) phenotypes, gathered at three CF centres in the USA was used. Tedizolid activity was assessed by broth microdilution, Etest and time–kill analysis. In vivo tedizolid efficacy was tested in a murine pneumonia model. Tedizolid in vitro mutants were obtained by 40 days of exposure and progressive passages. Whole genome sequencing of clinical S. aureus strains with reduced susceptibility to tedizolid was performed. Results MRSA strain MIC90s were tedizolid 0.12–0.25 mg/L and linezolid 1–2 mg/L; for MSSA strains, MIC90s were tedizolid 0.12 mg/L and linezolid 1–2 mg/L. Two strains, WIS 441 and Seattle 106, with tedizolid MICs of 2 mg/L and 1 mg/L, respectively, had MICs above the FDA tedizolid breakpoint (0.5 mg/L). Tedizolid at free serum concentrations exhibited a bacteriostatic effect. Mean bacterial burdens in lungs (log10 cfu/g) for WIS 423-infected mice were: control, 11.2±0.5; tedizolid-treated (10 mg/kg), 3.40±1.87; linezolid-treated (40 mg/kg), 4.51±2.1; and vancomycin-treated (30 mg/kg), 5.21±1.93. For WIS 441-infected mice the (log10 cfu/g) values were: control, 9.66±0.8; tedizolid-treated, 3.18±1.35; linezolid-treated 5.94±2.19; and vancomycin-treated, 4.35±1.7. Conclusions These results suggest that tedizolid represents a promising therapeutic option for the treatment of CF-associated MRSA/MSSA infections, having potent in vivo activity and low resistance potential.

scholarly journals Role of the dosR-dosS Two-Component Regulatory System in Mycobacterium tuberculosis Virulence in Three Animal Models

2008 ◽  
Vol 77 (3) ◽  
pp. 1230-1237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul J. Converse ◽  
Petros C. Karakousis ◽  
Lee G. Klinkenberg ◽  
Anup K. Kesavan ◽  
Lan H. Ly ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽  
Animal Models ◽  
Hollow Fiber ◽  
Regulatory System ◽  
Growth Defect ◽  
Bacterial Survival ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Fiber Model

ABSTRACT The Mycobacterium tuberculosis dosR gene (Rv3133c) is part of an operon, Rv3134c-Rv3132c, and encodes a response regulator that has been shown to be upregulated by hypoxia and other in vitro stress conditions and may be important for bacterial survival within granulomatous lesions found in tuberculosis. DosR is activated in response to hypoxia and nitric oxide by DosS (Rv3132c) or DosT (Rv2027c). We compared the virulence levels of an M. tuberculosis dosR-dosS deletion mutant (ΔdosR-dosS [ΔdosR-S]), a dosR-complemented strain, and wild-type H37Rv in rabbits, guinea pigs, and mice infected by the aerosol route and in a mouse hollow-fiber model that may mimic in vivo granulomatous conditions. In the mouse and the guinea pig models, the ΔdosR-S mutant exhibited a growth defect. In the rabbit, the ΔdosR-S mutant did not replicate more than the wild type. In the hollow-fiber model, the mutant phenotype was not different from that of the wild-type strain. Our analyses reveal that the dosR and dosS genes are required for full virulence and that there may be differences in the patterns of attenuation of this mutant between the animal models studied.

Bioelectric characteristics of exon 10 insertional cystic fibrosis mouse: comparison with humans

1995 ◽  
Vol 268 (2) ◽  
pp. C297-C307 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. N. Smith ◽  
D. M. Steel ◽  
P. G. Middleton ◽  
F. M. Munkonge ◽  
D. M. Geddes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cystic Fibrosis ◽  
Intestinal Tract ◽  
Chloride Secretion ◽  
Sodium Absorption ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Nasal Potential Difference ◽  
New Treatments ◽  
Exon 10

Two important issues that can be addressed by animal models are disease pathogenesis and the testing of new treatments, including gene therapy. How closely these models mimic the relevant disorder in humans will determine their usefulness. This study examines how closely the characteristic bioelectric features of cystic fibrosis (CF) are reproduced in the airways and intestinal tract of the exon 10 insertional mutant mouse (cf/cf). In agreement with CF subjects these cf/cf mutant mice demonstrate the following: 1) reduced adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate-related chloride secretion throughout the respiratory and intestinal tracts both in vivo and in vitro, 2) calcium-related chloride secretion that is preserved in the airways but reduced in the intestine, and 3) a more negative nasal potential difference and increased amiloride response compared with wild-type animals, likely to relate to increased sodium absorption. In contrast to humans, sodium absorption is not increased in the small intestine and is reduced in the trachea of the cf/cf mice. We conclude that the majority of the salient electrophysiological features of CF required for studies of pathogenesis or testing of new treatments are present in these cf/cf mice.

scholarly journals Antimicrobial Properties of Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Therapeutic Potential for Cystic Fibrosis Infection, and Treatment

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Morgan T. Sutton ◽  
David Fletcher ◽  
Santosh K. Ghosh ◽  
Aaron Weinberg ◽  
Rolf van Heeckeren ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cystic Fibrosis ◽  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Bacterial Growth ◽  
Therapeutic Potential ◽  
Bioactive Molecules ◽  
Human Mscs ◽  
Antimicrobial Effectiveness

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disease in which the battle between pulmonary infection and inflammation becomes the major cause of morbidity and mortality. We have previously shown that human MSCs (hMSCs) decrease inflammation and infection in thein vivomurine model of CF. The studies in this paper focus on the specificity of the hMSC antimicrobial effectiveness usingPseudomonas aeruginosa(gram negative bacteria) andStaphylococcus aureus(gram positive bacteria). Our studies show that hMSCs secrete bioactive molecules which are antimicrobialin vitroagainstPseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus,andStreptococcus pneumonia, impacting the rate of bacterial growth and transition into colony forming units regardless of the pathogen. Further, we show that the hMSCs have the capacity to enhance antibiotic sensitivity, improving the capacity to kill bacteria. We present data which suggests that the antimicrobial effectiveness is associated with the capacity to slow bacterial growth and the ability of the hMSCs to secrete the antimicrobial peptide LL-37. Lastly, our studies demonstrate that the tissue origin of the hMSCs (bone marrow or adipose tissue derived), the presence of functional cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR: human,Cftr: mouse) activity, and response to effector cytokines can impact both hMSC phenotype and antimicrobial potency and efficacy. These studies demonstrate, the unique capacity of the hMSCs to manage different pathogens and the significance of their phenotype in both the antimicrobial and antibiotic enhancing activities.

scholarly journals NorB, an Efflux Pump in Staphylococcus aureus Strain MW2, Contributes to Bacterial Fitness in Abscesses

2008 ◽  
Vol 190 (21) ◽  
pp. 7123-7129 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanpeng Ding ◽  
Yoshikuni Onodera ◽  
Jean C. Lee ◽  
David C. Hooper
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Efflux Pump ◽  
Efflux Pumps ◽  
Single Copy ◽  
Aureus Strain ◽  
Bacterial Survival ◽  
Bacterial Fitness

ABSTRACT While remaining a major problem in hospitals, Staphylococcus aureus is now spreading in communities. Strain MW2 (USA400 lineage) and other community methicillin-resistant S. aureus strains most commonly cause skin infections with abscess formation. Multidrug resistance (MDR) efflux pumps contribute to antimicrobial resistance but may also contribute to bacterial survival by removal of environmental toxins. In S. aureus, NorA, NorB, NorC, and Tet38 are chromosomally encoded efflux pumps whose overexpression can confer MDR to quinolones and other compounds (Nor pumps) or tetracyclines alone (Tet38), but the natural substrates of these pumps are not known. To determine the role of these efflux pumps in a natural environment in the absence of antibiotics, we used strain MW2 in a mouse subcutaneous abscess model and compared pump gene expression as determined by reverse transcription-PCR in the abscesses and in vitro. norB and tet38 were selectively upregulated in vivo more than 171- and 24-fold, respectively, whereas norA and norC were downregulated. These changes were associated with an increase in expression of mgrA, which encodes a transcriptional regulator known to affect pump gene expression. In competition experiments using equal inocula of a norB or tet38 mutant and parent strain MW2, each mutant exhibited growth defects of about two- to threefold in vivo. In complementation experiments, a single-copy insertion of norB (but not a single-copy insertion of tet38) in the attB site within geh restored the growth fitness of the norB mutant in vivo. Our findings indicate that some MDR pumps, like NorB, can facilitate bacterial survival when they are overexpressed in a staphylococcal abscess and may contribute to the relative resistance of abscesses to antimicrobial therapy, thus linking bacterial fitness and resistance in vivo.

scholarly journals Commensal bacteria augment Staphylococcus aureus infection by inactivation of phagocyte-derived reactive oxygen species

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (9) ◽  
pp. e1009880
Author(s):  
Josie F. Gibson ◽  
Grace R. Pidwill ◽  
Oliver T. Carnell ◽  
Bas G. J. Surewaard ◽  
Daria Shamarina ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reactive Oxygen Species ◽  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
Reactive Oxygen ◽  
Cellular Level ◽  
Oxygen Species ◽  
Bacterial Survival ◽  
Efficacious Vaccine ◽  
Opportunist Pathogen

Staphylococcus aureus is a human commensal organism and opportunist pathogen, causing potentially fatal disease. The presence of non-pathogenic microflora or their components, at the point of infection, dramatically increases S. aureus pathogenicity, a process termed augmentation. Augmentation is associated with macrophage interaction but by a hitherto unknown mechanism. Here, we demonstrate a breadth of cross-kingdom microorganisms can augment S. aureus disease and that pathogenesis of Enterococcus faecalis can also be augmented. Co-administration of augmenting material also forms an efficacious vaccine model for S. aureus. In vitro, augmenting material protects S. aureus directly from reactive oxygen species (ROS), which correlates with in vivo studies where augmentation restores full virulence to the ROS-susceptible, attenuated mutant katA ahpC. At the cellular level, augmentation increases bacterial survival within macrophages via amelioration of ROS, leading to proliferation and escape. We have defined the molecular basis for augmentation that represents an important aspect of the initiation of infection.

scholarly journals Hyperencapsulated mucoid pneumococcal isolates from patients with cystic fibrosis have increased biofilm density and persistence in vivo

2018 ◽  
Vol 76 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Evida A Dennis ◽  
Mamie T Coats ◽  
Sarah Griffin ◽  
Bing Pang ◽  
David E Briles ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cystic Fibrosis ◽  
Pseudomonas Aeruginosa ◽  
Continuous Flow ◽  
Biofilm Formation ◽  
Capsular Polysaccharides ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Pneumococcal Colonization ◽  
Phase Variants

AbstractMucoid bacteria, predominately Pseudomonas aeruginosa, are commonly associated with decline in pulmonary function in children with cystic fibrosis (CF), and are thought to persist at least in part due to a greater propensity toward forming biofilms. We isolated a higher frequency of mucoid Streptococcus pneumoniae (Sp) expressing high levels of capsular polysaccharides from sputa from children with CF, compared to those without CF. We compared biofilm formation and maturation by mucoid and non-mucoid isolates of Sp collected from children with and without CF. Non-mucoid Sp serotype 19A and 19F isolates had significantly higher levels of biofilm initiation and adherence to CF epithelial cells than did serotype 3 isolates. However, strains expressing high levels of capsule had significantly greater biofilm maturation, as evidenced by increased density and thickness in static and continuous flow assays via confocal microscopy. Finally, using a serotype 3 Sp strain, we showed that highly encapsulated mucoid phase variants predominate during late adherence and better colonize CFTR–/– as compared to wild-type mice in respiratory infection studies. These findings indicate that overexpression of capsule can enhance the development of mature pneumococcal biofilms in vitro, and may contribute to pneumococcal colonization in CF lung disease.

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