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Virulence of clinically relevant multidrug resistant Corynebacterium striatum strains and their ability to adhere to human epithelial cells and inert surfaces. Microb Pathog 2021; 155:104887. [PMID: 33894290 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2021.104887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2021] [Revised: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Corynebacterium striatum is a nosocomial pathogen which is increasingly associated with serious infections in both immunocompetent and immunocompromised patients. However, little is known about virulence factors and mechanisms that may enhance the establishment and long-term survival of Corynebacterium striatum. in the hospital environment. In this study, we investigated the ability of 22 multidrug-resistant C. striatum clinical isolates to adhere to human epithelial cells and to produce biofilm on polystyrene plates, glass and various tracheostomy tubes. We also tested the virulence of these strains on the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. They showed good adhesion to epithelial human cells after 180 min of infection. The 22 C. striatum were able to produce biofilms on positively and negatively charged abiotic surfaces at 37 °C. They were also able to infect and to kill Caenorhabditis elegans after 5 days of infection. The virulence condition was associated with the presence of SpaDEF operon encoding pili in all strains. This study provides new insights on virulence mechanisms that may contribute to the persistence of C. striatum in the hospital environment, increasing the probability of causing nosocomial infections.
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Timms VJ, Nguyen T, Crighton T, Yuen M, Sintchenko V. Genome-wide comparison of Corynebacterium diphtheriae isolates from Australia identifies differences in the Pan-genomes between respiratory and cutaneous strains. BMC Genomics 2018; 19:869. [PMID: 30509172 PMCID: PMC6278121 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-018-5147-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2018] [Accepted: 10/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Corynebacterium diphtheriae is the main etiological agent of diphtheria, a global disease causing life-threatening infections, particularly in infants and children. Vaccination with diphtheria toxoid protects against infection with potent toxin producing strains. However a growing number of apparently non-toxigenic but potentially invasive C. diphtheriae strains are identified in countries with low prevalence of diphtheria, raising key questions about genomic structures and population dynamics of the species. This study examined genomic diversity among 48 C. diphtheriae isolates collected in Australia over a 12-year period using whole genome sequencing. Phylogeny was determined using SNP-based mapping and genome wide analysis. Results C. diphtheriae sequence type (ST) 32, a non-toxigenic clone with evidence of enhanced virulence that has been also circulating in Europe, appears to be endemic in Australia. Isolates from temporospatially related patients displayed the same ST and similarity in their core genomes. The genome-wide analysis highlighted a role of pilins, adhesion factors and iron utilization in infections caused by non-toxigenic strains. Conclusions The genomic diversity of toxigenic and non-toxigenic strains of C. diphtheriae in Australia suggests multiple sources of infection and colonisation. Genomic surveillance of co-circulating toxigenic and non-toxigenic C. diphtheriae offer new insights into the evolution and virulence of pathogenic clones and can inform targeted public health actions and policy. The genomes presented in this investigation will contribute to the global surveillance of C. diphtheriae both for the monitoring of antibiotic resistance genes and virulent strains such as those belonging to ST32. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12864-018-5147-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Verlaine J Timms
- Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, Westmead Hospital, PO Box 533, Wentworthville, NSW, 2145, Australia.
| | - Trang Nguyen
- Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Laboratory Services, ICPMR-Pathology West, Sydney, Australia
| | - Taryn Crighton
- Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Laboratory Services, ICPMR-Pathology West, Sydney, Australia
| | - Marion Yuen
- Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Laboratory Services, ICPMR-Pathology West, Sydney, Australia
| | - Vitali Sintchenko
- Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology, Westmead Hospital, PO Box 533, Wentworthville, NSW, 2145, Australia.,Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology Laboratory Services, ICPMR-Pathology West, Sydney, Australia.,Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
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du Plessis M, Wolter N, Allam M, de Gouveia L, Moosa F, Ntshoe G, Blumberg L, Cohen C, Smith M, Mutevedzi P, Thomas J, Horne V, Moodley P, Archary M, Mahabeer Y, Mahomed S, Kuhn W, Mlisana K, McCarthy K, von Gottberg A. Molecular Characterization of Corynebacterium diphtheriae Outbreak Isolates, South Africa, March-June 2015. Emerg Infect Dis 2018; 23:1308-1315. [PMID: 28726616 PMCID: PMC5547784 DOI: 10.3201/eid2308.162039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
In 2015, a cluster of respiratory diphtheria cases was reported from KwaZulu-Natal Province in South Africa. By using whole-genome analysis, we characterized 21 Corynebacterium diphtheriae isolates collected from 20 patients and contacts during the outbreak (1 patient was infected with 2 variants of C. diphtheriae). In addition, we included 1 cutaneous isolate, 2 endocarditis isolates, and 2 archived clinical isolates (ca. 1980) for comparison. Two novel lineages were identified, namely, toxigenic sequence type (ST) ST-378 (n = 17) and nontoxigenic ST-395 (n = 3). One archived isolate and the cutaneous isolate were ST-395, suggesting ongoing circulation of this lineage for >30 years. The absence of preexisting molecular sequence data limits drawing conclusions pertaining to the origin of these strains; however, these findings provide baseline genotypic data for future cases and outbreaks. Neither ST has been reported in any other country; this ST appears to be endemic only in South Africa.
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Rajamani Sekar S, Veeraraghavan B, Anandan S, Devanga Ragupathi N, Sangal L, Joshi S. Strengthening the laboratory diagnosis of pathogenicCorynebacteriumspecies in the Vaccine era. Lett Appl Microbiol 2017; 65:354-365. [DOI: 10.1111/lam.12781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2017] [Revised: 07/06/2017] [Accepted: 07/20/2017] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- S.K. Rajamani Sekar
- Department of Clinical Microbiology; Christian Medical College; Vellore India
| | - B. Veeraraghavan
- Department of Clinical Microbiology; Christian Medical College; Vellore India
| | - S. Anandan
- Department of Clinical Microbiology; Christian Medical College; Vellore India
| | | | - L. Sangal
- World Health Organization (WHO) Country Office; New Delhi India
| | - S. Joshi
- World Health Organization (WHO) Country Office; New Delhi India
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Zhi XY, Jiang Z, Yang LL, Huang Y. The underlying mechanisms of genetic innovation and speciation in the family Corynebacteriaceae: A phylogenomics approach. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2017; 107:246-255. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2016.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2016] [Revised: 11/04/2016] [Accepted: 11/14/2016] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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Meinel DM, Margos G, Konrad R, Krebs S, Blum H, Sing A. Next generation sequencing analysis of nine Corynebacterium ulcerans isolates reveals zoonotic transmission and a novel putative diphtheria toxin-encoding pathogenicity island. Genome Med 2014; 6:113. [PMID: 25587356 PMCID: PMC4293111 DOI: 10.1186/s13073-014-0113-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2014] [Accepted: 11/17/2014] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Toxigenic Corynebacterium ulcerans can cause a diphtheria-like illness in humans and have been found in domestic animals, which were suspected to serve as reservoirs for a zoonotic transmission. Additionally, toxigenic C. ulcerans were reported to take over the leading role in causing diphtheria in the last years in many industrialized countries. METHODS To gain deeper insights into the tox gene locus and to understand the transmission pathway in detail, we analyzed nine isolates derived from human patients and their domestic animals applying next generation sequencing and comparative genomics. RESULTS We provide molecular evidence for zoonotic transmission of C. ulcerans in four cases and demonstrate the superior resolution of next generation sequencing compared to multi-locus sequence typing for epidemiologic research. Additionally, we provide evidence that the virulence of C. ulcerans can change rapidly by acquisition of novel virulence genes. This mechanism is exemplified by an isolate which acquired a prophage not present in the corresponding isolate from the domestic animal. This prophage contains a putative novel virulence factor, which shares high identity with the RhuM virulence factor from Salmonella enterica but which is unknown in Corynebacteria so far. Furthermore, we identified a putative pathogenicity island for C. ulcerans bearing a diphtheria toxin gene. CONCLUSION The novel putative diphtheria toxin pathogenicity island could provide a new and alternative pathway for Corynebacteria to acquire a functional diphtheria toxin-encoding gene by horizontal gene transfer, distinct from the previously well characterized phage infection model. The novel transmission pathway might explain the unexpectedly high number of toxigenic C. ulcerans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dominik M Meinel
- LGL, Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Oberschleißheim, 85764 Germany
| | - Gabriele Margos
- LGL, Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Oberschleißheim, 85764 Germany
| | - Regina Konrad
- LGL, Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Oberschleißheim, 85764 Germany ; National Consiliary Laboratory on Diphtheria, Oberschleißheim, 85764 Germany
| | - Stefan Krebs
- Laboratory for Functional Genome Analysis, Gene Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, 81377 Germany
| | - Helmut Blum
- Laboratory for Functional Genome Analysis, Gene Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, 81377 Germany
| | - Andreas Sing
- LGL, Bavarian Health and Food Safety Authority, Oberschleißheim, 85764 Germany ; National Consiliary Laboratory on Diphtheria, Oberschleißheim, 85764 Germany
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Pilus gene pool variation and the virulence of Corynebacterium diphtheriae clinical isolates during infection of a nematode. J Bacteriol 2013; 195:3774-83. [PMID: 23772071 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00500-13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Toxigenic Corynebacterium diphtheriae strains cause diphtheria in humans. The toxigenic C. diphtheriae isolate NCTC13129 produces three distinct heterotrimeric pili that contain SpaA, SpaD, and SpaH, making up the shaft structure. The SpaA pili are known to mediate bacterial adherence to pharyngeal epithelial cells. However, to date little is known about the expression of different pili in various clinical isolates and their importance in bacterial pathogenesis. Here, we characterized a large collection of C. diphtheriae clinical isolates for their pilin gene pool by PCR and for the expression of the respective pilins by immunoblotting with antibodies against Spa pilins. Consistent with the role of a virulence factor, the SpaA-type pili were found to be prevalent among the isolates, and most significantly, corynebacterial adherence to pharyngeal epithelial cells was strictly correlated with isolates that were positive for the SpaA pili. By comparison, the isolates were heterogeneous for the presence of SpaD- and SpaH-type pili. Importantly, using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model host for infection, we show here that strain NCTC13129 rapidly killed the nematodes, the phenotype similar to isolates that were positive for toxin and all pilus types. In contrast, isogenic mutants of NCTC13129 lacking SpaA-type pili or devoid of toxin and SpaA pili exhibited delayed killing of nematodes with similar kinetics. Consistently, nontoxigenic or toxigenic isolates that lack one, two, or all three pilus types were also attenuated in virulence. This work signifies the important role of pili in corynebacterial pathogenesis and provides a simple host model to identify additional virulence factors.
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Hirai-Yuki A, Komiya T, Suzaki Y, Ami Y, Katsukawa C, Takahashi M, Yamamoto A, Yamada YK. Isolation and characterization of toxigenic Corynebacterium ulcerans from 2 closed colonies of cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis) in Japan. Comp Med 2013; 63:272-278. [PMID: 23759530 PMCID: PMC3690433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2012] [Revised: 10/03/2012] [Accepted: 12/09/2012] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of infection by toxigenic Corynebacterium ulcerans in cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis) housed in an animal facility in Japan. Samples from the pharynges of animals from 2 closed colonies (colony A, n = 47; colony B, n = 21) were cultured. C. ulcerans grew from 43% and 47% of the samples from colonies A and B, respectively. The toxigenicity of these isolates was assessed by using PCR analysis for the diphtheria toxin gene and the Elek test and Vero cytotoxicity assay to detect diphtheria toxin. The proportion of macaques harboring toxigenic C. ulcerans was 6% in colony A and 29% in colony B. Analysis of diphtheria antitoxin neutralization titers in the sera revealed that 23% and 33% of macaques from colonies A and B, respectively, had a history of infection with toxigenic C. ulcerans. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis of the toxigenic isolates showed that all of those recovered from macaques in colony B showed an identical genotype, suggesting that transmission of the organism occurred within the colony. However, isolates from colony A macaques showed 3 different genotypes, one of which was identical to the isolate from colony B. Additional studies evaluating the prevalence and transmission of toxigenic C. ulcerans within colonies of nonhuman primates are necessary to help control the spread of the infection. The current study is the first description of the isolation and characterization of toxigenic C. ulcerans from nonhuman primates in Japan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asuka Hirai-Yuki
- Division of Experimental Animal Research, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Tokyo, Japan.
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The genus corynebacterium and other medically relevant coryneform-like bacteria. J Clin Microbiol 2012; 50:3152-8. [PMID: 22837327 DOI: 10.1128/jcm.00796-12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 211] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Catalase-positive Gram-positive bacilli, commonly called "diphtheroids" or "coryneform" bacteria were historically nearly always dismissed as contaminants when recovered from patients, but increasingly have been implicated as the cause of significant infections. These taxa have been underreported, and the taxa were taxonomically confusing. The mechanisms of pathogenesis, especially for newly described taxa, were rarely studied. Antibiotic susceptibility data were relatively scant. In this minireview, clinical relevance, phenotypic and genetic identification methods, matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) evaluations, and antimicrobial susceptibility testing involving species in the genus Corynebacterium and other medically relevant Gram-positive rods, collectively called coryneforms, are described.
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Sekizuka T, Yamamoto A, Komiya T, Kenri T, Takeuchi F, Shibayama K, Takahashi M, Kuroda M, Iwaki M. Corynebacterium ulcerans 0102 carries the gene encoding diphtheria toxin on a prophage different from the C. diphtheriae NCTC 13129 prophage. BMC Microbiol 2012; 12:72. [PMID: 22583953 PMCID: PMC3406963 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2180-12-72] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2012] [Accepted: 05/14/2012] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Corynebacterium ulcerans can cause a diphtheria-like illness, especially when the bacterium is lysogenized with a tox gene-carrying bacteriophage that produces diphtheria toxin. Acquisition of toxigenicity upon phage lysogenization is a common feature of C. ulcerans and C. diphtheriae. However, because of a lack of C. ulcerans genome information, a detailed comparison of prophages has not been possible between these two clinically important and closely related bacterial species. Results We determined the whole genome sequence of the toxigenic C. ulcerans 0102 isolated in Japan. The genomic sequence showed a striking similarity with that of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis and, to a lesser extent, with that of C. diphtheriae. The 0102 genome contained three distinct prophages. One of these, ΦCULC0102-I, was a tox-positive prophage containing genes in the same structural order as for tox-positive C. diphtheriae prophages. However, the primary structures of the individual genes involved in the phage machinery showed little homology between the two counterparts. Conclusion Taken together, these results suggest that the tox-positive prophage in this strain of C. ulcerans has a distinct origin from that of C. diphtheriae NCTC 13129.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tsuyoshi Sekizuka
- Laboratory of Bacterial Genomics, Pathogen Genomics Center, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1-23-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan
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Pangenomic study of Corynebacterium diphtheriae that provides insights into the genomic diversity of pathogenic isolates from cases of classical diphtheria, endocarditis, and pneumonia. J Bacteriol 2012; 194:3199-215. [PMID: 22505676 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00183-12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 93] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Corynebacterium diphtheriae is one of the most prominent human pathogens and the causative agent of the communicable disease diphtheria. The genomes of 12 strains isolated from patients with classical diphtheria, endocarditis, and pneumonia were completely sequenced and annotated. Including the genome of C. diphtheriae NCTC 13129, we herewith present a comprehensive comparative analysis of 13 strains and the first characterization of the pangenome of the species C. diphtheriae. Comparative genomics showed extensive synteny and revealed a core genome consisting of 1,632 conserved genes. The pangenome currently comprises 4,786 protein-coding regions and increases at an average of 65 unique genes per newly sequenced strain. Analysis of prophages carrying the diphtheria toxin gene tox revealed that the toxoid vaccine producer C. diphtheriae Park-Williams no. 8 has been lysogenized by two copies of the ω(tox)(+) phage, whereas C. diphtheriae 31A harbors a hitherto-unknown tox(+) corynephage. DNA binding sites of the tox-controlling regulator DtxR were detected by genome-wide motif searches. Comparative content analysis showed that the DtxR regulons exhibit marked differences due to gene gain, gene loss, partial gene deletion, and DtxR binding site depletion. Most predicted pathogenicity islands of C. diphtheriae revealed characteristics of horizontal gene transfer. The majority of these islands encode subunits of adhesive pili, which can play important roles in adhesion of C. diphtheriae to different host tissues. All sequenced isolates contain at least two pilus gene clusters. It appears that variation in the distributed genome is a common strategy of C. diphtheriae to establish differences in host-pathogen interactions.
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Soares SC, Dorella FA, Pacheco LGC, Hirata R, Mattos-Guaraldi AL, Azevedo V, Miyoshi A. Plasticity of Corynebacterium diphtheriae pathogenicity islands revealed by PCR. GENETICS AND MOLECULAR RESEARCH 2011; 10:1290-4. [PMID: 21732292 DOI: 10.4238/vol10-2gmr1211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Despite the existence of a vaccine against diphtheria, this disease remains endemic and is reemerging in several regions due to many factors, including variations in genes coding for virulence factors. One common feature of virulence factors is their high concentration in pathogenicity islands (PAIs), very unstable regions acquired via horizontal gene transfer, which has lead to the emergence of various bacterial pathogens. The 13 putative PAIs in Corynebacterium diphtheriae NCTC 13129 and the reemergence of this disease point to the great variability in the PAIs of this species, which may reflect on bacterial life style and physiological versatility. We investigated the relationships between the large number of PAIs in C. diphtheriae and the possible implications of their plasticity in virulence. The GenoFrag software was used to design primers to analyze the genome plasticity of two pathogenicity islands of the reference strain (PiCds 3 and 8) in 11 different strains. We found that PiCd 3 was absent in only two strains, showing genes playing putative important roles in virulence and that only one strain harbored PiCd 8, due to its location in a putative "hotspot" for horizontal gene transfer events.
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Affiliation(s)
- S C Soares
- Departamento de Biologia Geral, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil
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Ott L, Höller M, Rheinlaender J, Schäffer TE, Hensel M, Burkovski A. Strain-specific differences in pili formation and the interaction of Corynebacterium diphtheriae with host cells. BMC Microbiol 2010; 10:257. [PMID: 20942914 PMCID: PMC2965157 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2180-10-257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2010] [Accepted: 10/13/2010] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Corynebacterium diphtheriae, the causative agent of diphtheria, is well-investigated in respect to toxin production, while little is known about C. diphtheriae factors crucial for colonization of the host. In this study, we investigated strain-specific differences in adhesion, invasion and intracellular survival and analyzed formation of pili in different isolates. RESULTS Adhesion of different C. diphtheriae strains to epithelial cells and invasion of these cells are not strictly coupled processes. Using ultrastructure analyses by atomic force microscopy, significant differences in macromolecular surface structures were found between the investigated C. diphtheriae strains in respect to number and length of pili. Interestingly, adhesion and pili formation are not coupled processes and also no correlation between invasion and pili formation was found. Using RNA hybridization and Western blotting experiments, strain-specific pili expression patterns were observed. None of the studied C. diphtheriae strains had a dramatic detrimental effect on host cell viability as indicated by measurements of transepithelial resistance of Detroit 562 cell monolayers and fluorescence microscopy, leading to the assumption that C. diphtheriae strains might use epithelial cells as an environmental niche supplying protection against antibodies and macrophages. CONCLUSIONS The results obtained suggest that it is necessary to investigate various isolates on a molecular level to understand and to predict the colonization process of different C. diphtheriae strains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Ott
- Lehrstuhl für Mikrobiologie, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Nürnberg, Germany
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