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Infection and Immunity, November 2001, p. 6912-6922, Vol. 69, No. 11
0019-9567/01/$04.00+0   DOI: 10.1128/IAI.69.11.6912-6922.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Interaction of Neisseria meningitidis with Human Dendritic Cells

Annette Kolb-Mäurer,1,2 Alexandra Unkmeir,1 Ulrike Kämmerer,3 Claudia Hübner,1 Thomas Leimbach,1 Anne Stade,1 Eckhart Kämpgen,4 Matthias Frosch,1,* and Guido Dietrich1,*

Institut für Hygiene und Mikrobiologie, Universität Würzburg,1 Universitätsklinik für Frauenheilkunde,3 and Dermatologische Universitätsklinik Würzburg,4 97080 Würzburg, and Lehrstuhl für Mikrobiologie, Theodor-Boveri-Institut für Biowissenschaften der Universität Würzburg, 97074 Würzburg,2 Germany

Received 20 April 2001/Returned for modification 26 June 2001/Accepted 10 August 2001

Infection with Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B is responsible for fatal septicemia and meningococcal meningitis. The severity of disease directly correlates with the production of the proinflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha ), interleukin-1 (IL-1), IL-6, and IL-8. However, the source of these cytokines has not been clearly defined yet. Since bacterial infection involves the activation of dendritic cells (DCs), we analyzed the interaction of N. meningitidis with monocyte-derived DCs. Using N. meningitidis serogroup B wild-type and unencapsulated bacteria, we found that capsule expression significantly impaired neisserial adherence to DCs. In addition, phagocytic killing of the bacteria in the phagosome is reduced by at least 10- to 100-fold. However, all strains induced strong secretion of proinflammatory cytokines TNF-alpha , IL-6, and IL-8 by DCs (at least 1,000-fold at 20 h postinfection [p.i.]), with significantly increased cytokine levels being measurable by as early as 6 h p.i. Levels of IL-1beta , in contrast, were increased only 200- to 400-fold at 20 h p.i. with barely measurable induction at 6 h p.i. Moreover, comparable amounts of cytokines were induced by bacterium-free supernatants of Neisseria cultures containing neisserial lipooligosaccharide as the main factor. Our data suggest that activated DCs may be a significant source of high levels of proinflammatory cytokines in neisserial infection and thereby may contribute to the pathology of meningococcal disease.

* Corresponding author. Present address for Guido Dietrich: Bacterial Vaccine Research, Berna Biotech AG, Rehhagstrasse 79, 3018 Berne, Switzerland. Phone: 41-31-980-6372. Fax: 41-31-980-6785. E-mail: guido.dietrich{at}bernabiotech.com. Mailing address for Matthias Frosch (for reprint requests): Institut für Hygiene und Mikrobiologie, Universität Würzburg, Josef-Schneider Strasse 2, 97080 Würzburg, Germany. Phone: 49-931-201-5161. Fax: 49-931-201-3445. E-mail: mfrosch{at}hygiene.uni-wuerzburg.de.

Infection and Immunity, November 2001, p. 6912-6922, Vol. 69, No. 11
0019-9567/01/$04.00+0   DOI: 10.1128/IAI.69.11.6912-6922.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


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