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Studies of Streptococcus anginosus Virulence in Dictyostelium discoideum and Galleria mellonella Models

Budziaszek, Joanna and Pilarczyk-Zurek, Magdalena and Dobosz, Ewelina and Kozińska, Aleksandra and Nowicki, Dariusz and Obszanska, Katarzyna and Szalewska-Pałasz, Agnieszka and Kern-Zdanowicz, I. and Sitkiewicz, Izabela and Koziel, Joanna (2023) Studies of Streptococcus anginosus Virulence in Dictyostelium discoideum and Galleria mellonella Models. Infection and Immunity . ISSN ISSN 1098-5522 (Online)

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Official URL: https://journals.asm.org/doi/epub/10.1128/iai.0001...

Abstract

For many years, Streptococcus anginosus has been considered a commensal colonizing the oral cavity, as well as the gastrointestinal and genitourinary tracts. However, recent epidemiological and clinical data designate this bacterium as an emerging opportunistic pathogen. Despite the reported pathogenicity of S. anginosus, the molecular mechanism underpinning its virulence is poorly described. Therefore, our goal was to develop and optimize efficient and simple infection models that can be applied to examine the virulence of S. anginosus and to study host-pathogen interactions. Using 23 S. anginosus isolates collected from different infections, including severe and superficial infections, as well as an attenuated strain devoid of CppA, we demonstrate for the first time that Dictyostelium discoideum is a suitable model for initial, fast, and large-scale screening of virulence. Furthermore, we found that another nonvertebrate animal model, Galleria mellonella, can be used to study the pathogenesis of S. anginosus infection, with an emphasis on the interactions between the pathogen and host innate immunity. Examining the profile of immune defense genes, including antimicrobial peptides, opsonins, regulators of nodulation, and inhibitors of proteases, by quantitative PCR (qPCR) we identified different immune response profiles depending on the S. anginosus strain. Using these models, we show that S. anginosus is resistant to the bactericidal activity of phagocytes, a phenomenon confirmed using human neutrophils. Notably, since we found that the data from these models corresponded to the clinical severity of infection, we propose their further application to studies of the virulence of S. anginosus.

Item Type:Article
Subjects:Q Science > QR Microbiology
Q Science > QR Microbiology > QR180 Immunology
Divisions:Department of Microbial Biochemistry
ID Code:2262
Deposited By: dr hab. Izabela Kern-Zdanowicz
Deposited On:18 May 2023 11:14
Last Modified:18 May 2023 11:14

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