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Bauer BU, Knittler MR, Andrack J, Berens C, Campe A, Christiansen B, Fasemore AM, Fischer SF, Ganter M, Körner S, Makert GR, Matthiesen S, Mertens-Scholz K, Rinkel S, Runge M, Schulze-Luehrmann J, Ulbert S, Winter F, Frangoulidis D, Lührmann A. Interdisciplinary studies on Coxiella burnetii: From molecular to cellular, to host, to one health research. Int J Med Microbiol 2023; 313:151590. [PMID: 38056089 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijmm.2023.151590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Revised: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The Q-GAPS (Q fever GermAn interdisciplinary Program for reSearch) consortium was launched in 2017 as a German consortium of more than 20 scientists with exceptional expertise, competence, and substantial knowledge in the field of the Q fever pathogen Coxiella (C.) burnetii. C. burnetii exemplifies as a zoonotic pathogen the challenges of zoonotic disease control and prophylaxis in human, animal, and environmental settings in a One Health approach. An interdisciplinary approach to studying the pathogen is essential to address unresolved questions about the epidemiology, immunology, pathogenesis, surveillance, and control of C. burnetii. In more than five years, Q-GAPS has provided new insights into pathogenicity and interaction with host defense mechanisms. The consortium has also investigated vaccine efficacy and application in animal reservoirs and identified expanded phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of C. burnetii and their epidemiological significance. In addition, conceptual principles for controlling, surveilling, and preventing zoonotic Q fever infections were developed and prepared for specific target groups. All findings have been continuously integrated into a Web-based, interactive, freely accessible knowledge and information platform (www.q-gaps.de), which also contains Q fever guidelines to support public health institutions in controlling and preventing Q fever. In this review, we will summarize our results and show an example of how an interdisciplinary consortium provides knowledge and better tools to control a zoonotic pathogen at the national level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin U Bauer
- Clinic for Swine and Small Ruminants, Forensic Medicine and Ambulatory Service, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Hannover, Germany
| | - Michael R Knittler
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Institute of Immunology, Greifswald - Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Jennifer Andrack
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Institute of Bacterial Infections and Zoonoses, Jena, Germany
| | - Christian Berens
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Institute of Molecular Pathogenesis, Jena, Germany
| | - Amely Campe
- Department of Biometry, Epidemiology and Information Processing, (IBEI), WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training for Health at the Human-Animal-Environment Interface, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Hannover, Germany
| | - Bahne Christiansen
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Institute of Immunology, Greifswald - Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Akinyemi M Fasemore
- Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology, Munich, Germany; University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany; ZB MED - Information Centre for Life Science, Cologne, Germany
| | - Silke F Fischer
- Landesgesundheitsamt Baden-Württemberg, Ministerium für Soziales, Gesundheit und Integration, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Martin Ganter
- Clinic for Swine and Small Ruminants, Forensic Medicine and Ambulatory Service, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Hannover, Germany
| | - Sophia Körner
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Institute of Bacterial Infections and Zoonoses, Jena, Germany; Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology IZI, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Gustavo R Makert
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology IZI, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Svea Matthiesen
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Institute of Immunology, Greifswald - Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Katja Mertens-Scholz
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Institute of Bacterial Infections and Zoonoses, Jena, Germany
| | - Sven Rinkel
- Institut für Klinische Mikrobiologie, Immunologie und Hygiene, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany
| | - Martin Runge
- Lower Saxony State Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety (LAVES), Food and Veterinary Institute Braunschweig/Hannover, Hannover, Germany
| | - Jan Schulze-Luehrmann
- Institut für Klinische Mikrobiologie, Immunologie und Hygiene, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany
| | - Sebastian Ulbert
- Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology IZI, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Fenja Winter
- Department of Biometry, Epidemiology and Information Processing, (IBEI), WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training for Health at the Human-Animal-Environment Interface, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Hannover, Germany
| | - Dimitrios Frangoulidis
- Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology, Munich, Germany; Bundeswehr Medical Service Headquarters VI-2, Medical Intelligence & Information, Munich, Germany
| | - Anja Lührmann
- Institut für Klinische Mikrobiologie, Immunologie und Hygiene, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany.
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Metters G, Hemsley C, Norville I, Titball R. Identification of essential genes in Coxiella burnetii. Microb Genom 2023; 9:mgen000944. [PMID: 36723494 PMCID: PMC9997736 DOI: 10.1099/mgen.0.000944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Coxiella burnetii is an intracellular pathogen responsible for causing Q fever in humans, a disease with varied presentations ranging from a mild flu-like sickness to a debilitating illness that can result in endocarditis. The intracellular lifestyle of C. burnetii is unique, residing in an acidic phagolysosome-like compartment within host cells. An understanding of the core molecular biology of C. burnetii will greatly increase our understanding of C. burnetii growth, survival and pathogenesis. We used transposon-directed insertion site sequencing (TraDIS) to reveal C. burnetii Nine Mile Phase II genes fundamental for growth and in vitro survival. Screening a transposon library containing >10 000 unique transposon mutants revealed 512 predicted essential genes. Essential routes of synthesis were identified for the mevalonate pathway, as well as peptidoglycan and biotin synthesis. Some essential genes identified (e.g. predicted type IV secretion system effector genes) are typically considered to be associated with C. burnetii virulence, a caveat concerning the axenic media used in the study. Investigation into the conservation of the essential genes identified revealed that 78 % are conserved across all C. burnetii strains sequenced to date, which probably play critical functions. This is the first report of a whole genome transposon screen in C. burnetii that has been undertaken for the identification of essential genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgie Metters
- Department of Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK.,Defence Science and Technology Laboratories, CBR Division, Porton Down, Salisbury SP4 0JQ, UK
| | - Claudia Hemsley
- Department of Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK.,Present address: Molecular Microbiology Division, School of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, Dundee, DD1 5AA, UK
| | - Isobel Norville
- Department of Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK.,Defence Science and Technology Laboratories, CBR Division, Porton Down, Salisbury SP4 0JQ, UK
| | - Richard Titball
- Department of Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK
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Ménard G, Rouillon A, Cattoir V, Donnio PY. Galleria mellonella as a Suitable Model of Bacterial Infection: Past, Present and Future. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 11:782733. [PMID: 35004350 PMCID: PMC8727906 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.782733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 12/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The increasing interest for Galleria mellonella larvae as an infection model is evidenced by the number of papers reporting its use, which increases exponentially since the early 2010s. This popularity was initially linked to limitation of conventional animal models due to financial, technical and ethical aspects. In comparison, alternative models (e.g. models using Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila melanogaster or G. mellonella) were cheap, simple to use and not limited by ethical regulation. Since then, similar results have been established with G. mellonella model comparatively to vertebrates, and it is more and more often used as a robust model per se, not only as an alternative to the murine model. This review attempts to summarize the current knowledge supporting the development of this model, both on immunological and microbiological aspects. For that, we focus on investigation of virulence and new therapies for the most important pathogenic bacteria. We also discuss points out directions for standardization, as well as recent advances and new perspectives for monitoring host-pathogen interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Ménard
- Univ Rennes, CHU Rennes, INSERM, Bacterial Regulatory RNAs and Medicine (BRM), service de Bactériologie Hygiène-Hospitalière (SB2H), UMR_S 1230, Rennes, France
| | - Astrid Rouillon
- Univ Rennes, INSERM, Bacterial Regulatory RNAs and Medicine (BRM), UMR_S 1230, Rennes, France
| | - Vincent Cattoir
- Univ Rennes, CHU Rennes, INSERM, Bacterial Regulatory RNAs and Medicine (BRM), service de Bactériologie Hygiène-Hospitalière (SB2H), UMR_S 1230, Rennes, France
| | - Pierre-Yves Donnio
- Univ Rennes, CHU Rennes, INSERM, Bacterial Regulatory RNAs and Medicine (BRM), service de Bactériologie Hygiène-Hospitalière (SB2H), UMR_S 1230, Rennes, France
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Dijokaite A, Humbert MV, Borkowski E, La Ragione RM, Christodoulides M. Establishing an invertebrate Galleria mellonella greater wax moth larval model of Neisseria gonorrhoeae infection. Virulence 2021; 12:1900-1920. [PMID: 34304706 PMCID: PMC8312596 DOI: 10.1080/21505594.2021.1950269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2021] [Revised: 06/21/2021] [Accepted: 06/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Neisseria gonorrhoeae (gonococcus) causes the human sexually transmitted disease gonorrhea. Studying gonococcal pathogenesis and developing new vaccines and therapies to combat the increasing prevalence of multi-antibiotic resistant bacteria has made use of many ex vivo models based on human cells and tissues, and in vivo vertebrate models, for example, rodent, pig and human. The focus of the current study was to examine the utility of the invertebrate greater wax moth Galleria mellonella as an in vivo model of gonococcal infection. We observed that a threshold of ~106 - 107 gonococci/larva was required to kill >50% of larvae (P < 0.05), and increased toxicity correlated with reduced health index scores and pronounced histopathological changes such as increases in the total lesion grade, melanized nodules, hemocyte reaction, and multifocal adipose body degeneration. Larval death was independent of the expression of pilus or Opa protein or LOS sialylation within a single gonococcal species studied, but the model could demonstrate relative toxicity of different isolates. N. meningitidis, N. lacatamica and gonococci all killed larvae equally, but were significantly less toxic (P > 0.05) than Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Larvae primed with nontoxic doses of gonococci were more susceptible to subsequent challenge with homologous and heterologous bacteria, and larval survival was significantly reduced (P < 0.05) in infected larvae after depletion of their hemocytes with clodronate-liposomes. The model was used to test the anti-gonococcal properties of antibiotics and novel antimicrobials. Ceftriaxone (P < 0.05) protected larvae from infection with different gonococcal isolates, but not azithromycin or monocaprin or ligand-coated silver nanoclusters (P > 0.05).
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Affiliation(s)
- Aiste Dijokaite
- Neisseria Research Group, Molecular Microbiology, Academic School of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Southampton Faculty of Medicine, Southampton, UK
| | - Maria Victoria Humbert
- Neisseria Research Group, Molecular Microbiology, Academic School of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Southampton Faculty of Medicine, Southampton, UK
| | - Emma Borkowski
- Department of Pathology and Infectious Diseases, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK
| | - Roberto M La Ragione
- Department of Pathology and Infectious Diseases, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK
| | - Myron Christodoulides
- Neisseria Research Group, Molecular Microbiology, Academic School of Clinical and Experimental Sciences, University of Southampton Faculty of Medicine, Southampton, UK
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Sireci G, Badami GD, Di Liberto D, Blanda V, Grippi F, Di Paola L, Guercio A, de la Fuente J, Torina A. Recent Advances on the Innate Immune Response to Coxiella burnetii. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2021; 11:754455. [PMID: 34796128 PMCID: PMC8593175 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2021.754455] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Coxiella burnetii is an obligate intracellular Gram-negative bacterium and the causative agent of a worldwide zoonosis known as Q fever. The pathogen invades monocytes and macrophages, replicating within acidic phagolysosomes and evading host defenses through different immune evasion strategies that are mainly associated with the structure of its lipopolysaccharide. The main transmission routes are aerosols and ingestion of fomites from infected animals. The innate immune system provides the first host defense against the microorganism, and it is crucial to direct the infection towards a self-limiting respiratory disease or the chronic form. This review reports the advances in understanding the mechanisms of innate immunity acting during C. burnetii infection and the strategies that pathogen put in place to infect the host cells and to modify the expression of specific host cell genes in order to subvert cellular processes. The mechanisms through which different cell types with different genetic backgrounds are differently susceptible to C. burnetii intracellular growth are discussed. The subsets of cytokines induced following C. burnetii infection as well as the pathogen influence on an inflammasome-mediated response are also described. Finally, we discuss the use of animal experimental systems for studying the innate immune response against C. burnetii and discovering novel methods for prevention and treatment of disease in humans and livestock.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guido Sireci
- Central Laboratory of Advanced Diagnostic and Biological Research (CLADIBIOR), Department of Biomedicine, Neurosciences and Advanced Diagnostics (BIND), University Hospital "Paolo Giaccone", Università degli studi di Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Giusto Davide Badami
- Central Laboratory of Advanced Diagnostic and Biological Research (CLADIBIOR), Department of Biomedicine, Neurosciences and Advanced Diagnostics (BIND), University Hospital "Paolo Giaccone", Università degli studi di Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Diana Di Liberto
- Central Laboratory of Advanced Diagnostic and Biological Research (CLADIBIOR), Department of Biomedicine, Neurosciences and Advanced Diagnostics (BIND), University Hospital "Paolo Giaccone", Università degli studi di Palermo, Palermo, Italy
| | - Valeria Blanda
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia, Palermo, Italy
| | - Francesca Grippi
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia, Palermo, Italy
| | - Laura Di Paola
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia, Palermo, Italy
| | - Annalisa Guercio
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia, Palermo, Italy
| | - José de la Fuente
- SaBio Health and Biotechnology, Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos, IREC -Spanish National Research Council CSIC - University of Castilla-La Mancha UCLM - Regional Government of Castilla-La Mancha JCCM, Ciudad Real, Spain.,Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, United States
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Abstract
Coxiella burnetii, the causative agent of query (Q) fever in humans, is an obligate intracellular bacterium. C. burnetii can naturally infect a broad range of host organisms (e.g., mammals and arthropods) and cell types. This amphotropic nature of C. burnetii, in combination with its ability to utilize both glycolytic and gluconeogenic carbon sources, suggests that the pathogen relies on metabolic plasticity to replicate in nutritionally diverse intracellular environments. To test the significance of metabolic plasticity in C. burnetii host cell colonization, C. burnetii intracellular replication in seven distinct cell lines was compared between a metabolically competent parental strain and a mutant, CbΔpckA, unable to undergo gluconeogenesis. Both the parental strain and CbΔpckA mutant exhibited host cell-dependent infection phenotypes, which were influenced by alterations to host glycolytic or gluconeogenic substrate availability. Because the nutritional environment directly impacts host cell physiology, our analysis was extended to investigate the response of C. burnetii replication in mammalian host cells cultivated in a novel physiological medium based on the nutrient composition of mammalian interstitial fluid, interstitial fluid-modeled medium (IFmM). An infection model based on IFmM resulted in exacerbation of a replication defect exhibited by the CbΔpckA mutant in specific cell lines. The CbΔpckA mutant was also attenuated during infection of an animal host. Overall, the study underscores that gluconeogenic capacity aids C. burnetii amphotropism and that the amphotropic nature of C. burnetii should be considered when resolving virulence mechanisms in this pathogen.
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