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Infection and Immunity, March 2002, p. 1075-1080, Vol. 70, No. 3
0019-9567/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/IAI.70.3.1075-1080.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Role of Lung Epithelial Cells in Defense against Klebsiella pneumoniae Pneumonia

Guadalupe Cortés,1,2 Dolores Álvarez,1,2 Carles Saus,3 and Sebastián Albertí1,2*

Unidad de Investigación,1 Servicio Anatomía Patológica, Hospital Universitario Son Dureta,3 Área de Microbiología, Departamento de Biologia, Universidad de las Islas Baleares and IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB), Palma de Mallorca, Spain2

Received 2 August 2001/ Returned for modification 4 October 2001/ Accepted 27 November 2001

The airway epithelium represents a primary site for the entry of pathogenic bacteria into the lungs. It has been suggested for many respiratory pathogens, including Klebsiella pneumoniae, that adhesion and invasion of the lung epithelial cells is an early stage of the pneumonia process. We observed that poorly encapsulated K. pneumoniae clinical isolates and an isogenic unencapsulated mutant invaded lung epithelial cells more efficiently than highly encapsulated strains independent of the K type. By contrast, the unencapsulated mutant was completely avirulent in a mouse model of pneumonia, unlike the wild-type strain, which produced pneumonia and systemic infection. Furthermore, the unencapsulated mutant bound more epithelially produced complement component C3 than the wild-type strain. Our results show that lung epithelial cells play a key role as a host defense mechanism against K. pneumoniae pneumonia, using two different strategies: (i) ingestion and control of the microorganisms and (ii) opsonization of the microorganisms. Capsular polysaccharide avoids both mechanisms and enhances the virulence of K. pneumoniae.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Unidad de Investigación, Hospital Universitario Son Dureta, Andrea Doria, 55, Palma de Mallorca 07014, Spain. Phone: 34-971-175334. Fax: 34-971-175228. E-mail: salberti{at}hsd.es.

Infection and Immunity, March 2002, p. 1075-1080, Vol. 70, No. 3
0019-9567/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/IAI.70.3.1075-1080.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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