Saleh Malek, Abdullah Mohammed R, Schulz Christian, Kohler Thomas, Pribyl Thomas, Jensch Inga, Hammerschmidt Sven
Department Genetics of Microorganisms, Interfaculty Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, University of Greifswald.
Department Genetics of Microorganisms, Interfaculty Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, University of Greifswald;
J Vis Exp. 2014 Feb 23(84):e51174. doi: 10.3791/51174.
Pneumonia is one of the major health care problems in developing and industrialized countries and is associated with considerable morbidity and mortality. Despite advances in knowledge of this illness, the availability of intensive care units (ICU), and the use of potent antimicrobial agents and effective vaccines, the mortality rates remain high(1). Streptococcus pneumoniae is the leading pathogen of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and one of the most common causes of bacteremia in humans. This pathogen is equipped with an armamentarium of surface-exposed adhesins and virulence factors contributing to pneumonia and invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD). The assessment of the in vivo role of bacterial fitness or virulence factors is of utmost importance to unravel S. pneumoniae pathogenicity mechanisms. Murine models of pneumonia, bacteremia, and meningitis are being used to determine the impact of pneumococcal factors at different stages of the infection. Here we describe a protocol to monitor in real-time pneumococcal dissemination in mice after intranasal or intraperitoneal infections with bioluminescent bacteria. The results show the multiplication and dissemination of pneumococci in the lower respiratory tract and blood, which can be visualized and evaluated using an imaging system and the accompanying analysis software.
肺炎是发展中国家和工业化国家主要的医疗保健问题之一，与相当高的发病率和死亡率相关。尽管对这种疾病的认识有所进步，重症监护病房（ICU）的可及性提高，强效抗菌药物和有效疫苗也得到应用，但死亡率仍然很高（1）。肺炎链球菌是社区获得性肺炎（CAP）的主要病原体，也是人类菌血症最常见的病因之一。这种病原体具有一系列表面暴露的黏附素和毒力因子，可导致肺炎和侵袭性肺炎球菌病（IPD）。评估细菌适应性或毒力因子在体内的作用对于阐明肺炎链球菌的致病机制至关重要。肺炎、菌血症和脑膜炎的小鼠模型正用于确定肺炎球菌因子在感染不同阶段的影响。在此，我们描述一种方案，用于实时监测用生物发光细菌经鼻内或腹腔内感染小鼠后肺炎球菌的播散情况。结果显示肺炎球菌在下呼吸道和血液中的增殖与播散，可使用成像系统及配套分析软件进行可视化和评估。
