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Otopathogenic Pseudomonas aeruginosa Enters and Survives Inside Macrophages
Frontiers in Microbiology
  • Rahul Mittal, University of Miami
  • Christopher V. Lisi, University of Miami
  • Hansi Kumari, Florida International University
  • M'hamed Grati, University of Miami
  • Patricia Blackwelder, University of Miami
  • Denise Yan, University of Miami
  • Chaitanya Jain, University of Miami
  • Kalai Mathee, Florida International University
  • Paulo H. Weckwerth, University of Sagrado Coração
  • Xue Zhong Liu, University of Miami
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
11-18-2016
Disciplines
Abstract

Otitis media (OM) is a broad term describing a group of infectious and inflammatory disorders of the middle ear. Despite antibiotic therapy, acute OM can progress to chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) characterized by ear drum perforation and purulent discharge. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the most common pathogen associated with CSOM. Although, macrophages play an important role in innate immune responses but their role in the pathogenesis of P. aeruginosa-induced CSOM is not known. The objective of this study is to examine the interaction of P. aeruginosa with primary macrophages. We observed that P. aeruginosa enters and multiplies inside human and mouse primary macrophages. This bacterial entry in macrophages requires both microtubule and actin dependent processes. Transmission electron microscopy demonstrated that P. aeruginosa was present in membrane bound vesicles inside macrophages. Interestingly, deletion of oprF expression in P. aeruginosa abrogates its ability to survive inside macrophages. Our results suggest that otopathogenic P. aeruginosa entry and survival inside macrophages is OprF-dependent. The survival of bacteria inside macrophages will lead to evasion of killing and this lack of pathogen clearance by phagocytes contributes to the persistence of infection in CSOM. Understanding host–pathogen interaction will provide novel avenues to design effective treatment modalities against OM.

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This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

Creative Commons License
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
DOI
10.3389/fmicb.2016.01828
Citation Information
Rahul Mittal, Christopher V. Lisi, Hansi Kumari, M'hamed Grati, et al.. "Otopathogenic Pseudomonas aeruginosa Enters and Survives Inside Macrophages" Frontiers in Microbiology (2016) ISSN: 1664-302X
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/patricia-blackwelder/42/