Environmental signals induce major changes in virulence of Shigella spp

Culture of Campylobacter jejuni with sodium deoxycholate induces virulence gene expression

Campylobacter jejuni, a spiral-shaped gram-negative bacterium, is a leading bacterial cause of human food-borne illness. Acute disease is associated with C. jejuni invasion of the intestinal epithelium. Further, maximal host cell invasion requires the secretion of proteins termed Campylobacter invasion antigens (Cia). As bile acids are known to alter the pathogenic behavior of other gastrointestinal pathogens, we hypothesized that the virulence potential of Campylobacter may be triggered by the bile acid deoxycholate (DOC). In support of this hypothesis, culturing C. jejuni with a physiologically relevant concentration of DOC significantly altered the kinetics of cell invasion, as shown by gentamicin protection assays. In contrast to C. jejuni harvested from Mueller-Hinton (MH) agar plates, C. jejuni harvested from MH agar plates supplemented with DOC secreted the Cia proteins, as judged by metabolic labeling experiments. DOC was also found to induce the expression of the ciaB gene, as determined by beta-galactosidase reporter, real-time reverse transcription-PCR, and microarray analyses. Microarray analysis further revealed that DOC induced the expression of virulence genes (ciaB, cmeABC, dccR, and tlyA). In summary, we demonstrated that it is possible to enhance the pathogenic behavior of C. jejuni by modifying the culture conditions. These results provide a foundation for identifying genes expressed by C. jejuni in response to in vivo-like culture conditions.

Aeromonas salmonicida grown in vivo

The virulent fish pathogen Aeromonas salmonicida was rapidly killed in vivo when restricted inside a diffusion chamber implanted intraperitoneally in rainbow trout. After a period of regrowth, the survivors had acquired resistance to host-mediated bacteriolysis, phagocytosis, and oxidative killing, properties which were subsequently lost by growth in vitro. Resistance to bacteriolysis and phagocytosis was associated with a newly acquired capsular layer revealed by acidic polysaccharide staining and electron microscopy. This capsular layer shielded the underlying, regular surface array (S-layer) from immunogold labeling with a primary antibody to the S-layer protein. Resistance to oxidative killing was mediated by a mechanism not associated with the presence of the capsular layer. An attenuated vaccine strain of A. salmonicida grown in vivo failed to express the capsular layer. Consequently, the in vivo-grown cells of this attenuated strain remained as sensitive to bacteriolysis, and as avidly adherent to macrophages, as the in vitro-grown cells. The importance of these new virulence determinants and their relation to the known virulence factors of A. salmonicida are discussed.