Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Cellular Microbiology: Pathogen-Host Cell Molecular InteractionsCigarette Smoke Exposure Promotes Virulence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Induces Resistance to Neutrophil KillingIt is widely known that cigarette smoke damages host defenses and increases susceptibility to bacterial infections. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a Gram-negative bacterium that commonly colonizes the airways of smokers and patients with chronic lung disease, can cause pneumonia and sepsis and can trigger exacerbations of lung diseases....
Host Response and InflammationLow-Avidity Autoantibodies against Bactericidal/Permeability-Increasing Protein Occur in Gram-Negative and Gram-Positive BacteremiaAntibody autoreactivity against bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (BPI) is strongly associated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in cystic fibrosis (CF), non-CF bronchiectasis (BE), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We examined the pathogen-specific nature of this autoreactivity by examining antibodies to BPI in bacteremia patients....
Bacterial InfectionsScnn1b-Transgenic BALB/c Mice as a Model of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infections of the Cystic Fibrosis LungThe opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa is responsible for much of the morbidity and mortality associated with cystic fibrosis (CF), a condition that predisposes patients to chronic lung infections. P. aeruginosa lung infections are difficult to treat because...
Host Response and InflammationNHR-49 Transcription Factor Regulates Immunometabolic Response and Survival of Caenorhabditis elegans during Enterococcus faecalis InfectionImmune response to pathogens is energetically expensive to the host; however, the cellular source of energy to fuel immune response remains unknown. In this study, we show that Caenorhabditis elegans exposed to pathogenic Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria or yeast rapidly utilizes lipid droplets, the major energy reserve. The nematode’s response to the...
Bacterial InfectionsRole of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Glutathione Biosynthesis in Lung and Soft Tissue InfectionThe opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. To survive in both the environment and the host, P. aeruginosa must cope with redox stress. In P. aeruginosa, a primary...
Host Response and InflammationMice Lacking γδ T Cells Exhibit Impaired Clearance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Lung Infection and Excessive Production of Inflammatory CytokinesPseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that causes chronic and life-threatening infections in immunocompromised patients. A better understanding of the role that innate immunity plays in the control of P. aeruginosa infection is crucial for therapeutic development. Specifically, the...
Cellular Microbiology: Pathogen-Host Cell Molecular InteractionsDistinct Contributions of CD18 Integrins for Binding and Phagocytic Internalization of Pseudomonas aeruginosaPhagocytosis is the key mechanism for host control of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a motile Gram-negative, opportunistic bacterial pathogen which frequently undergoes adaptation and selection for traits that are advantageous for survival. One such clinically relevant adaptation is the loss of bacterial motility, observed within chronic infections, that is associated with...
Host-Associated Microbial CommunitiesCooperativity between Stenotrophomonas maltophilia and Pseudomonas aeruginosa during Polymicrobial Airway InfectionsStenotrophomonas maltophilia is a Gram-negative bacterium found ubiquitously in the environment that has historically been regarded as nonpathogenic. S. maltophilia is increasingly observed in patient sputa in cystic fibrosis (CF), and while existing epidemiology indicates that patients with...
Host Response and InflammationEarly Growth Response 1 Deficiency Protects the Host against Pseudomonas aeruginosa Lung InfectionPseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogen that is a common cause of nosocomial infections. The molecular mechanisms governing immune responses to P. aeruginosa infection remain incompletely defined. Early growth response 1 (Egr-1) is a zinc-finger transcription factor that controls...
Cellular Microbiology: Pathogen-Host Cell Molecular InteractionsPseudomonas aeruginosa ExsA Regulates a Metalloprotease, ImpA, That Inhibits Phagocytosis of MacrophagesPseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic pathogenic bacterium whose type III secretion system (T3SS) plays a critical role in acute infections. Translocation of the T3SS effectors into host cells induces cytotoxicity. In addition, the T3SS promotes the intracellular growth of P. aeruginosa during...