Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China.
Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China.
Emerg Microbes Infect. 2024 Dec;13(1):2373317. doi: 10.1080/22221751.2024.2373317. Epub 2024 Jul 6.
, a group of multi-drug resistant, Gram-positive, aerobic, and partially acid-fast bacteria, are emerging causes of bacterial conjunctivitis and keratitis. However, the pathogenesis of keratitis is largely unknown. To address this, we used New Zealand White rabbits to develop the first eye infection model and conducted tests to study the pathogenesis mechanisms of . There is increasing evidence that biofilms play a significant role in ocular infections, leading us to hypothesize that biofilm formation is crucial for effective infection. In order to look for potential candidate genes which are important in biofilm formation and keratitis. We performed genome sequencing of two ocular isolates, -PW1004 and -PW899, to identify potential virulence factors. Through and studies, we characterized their biological roles in mediating keratitis. Our findings confirmed that is an ocular pathogen by fulfilling Koch's postulates, and using genome sequence data, we identified encoding a mycolyltransferase, as a crucial gene in biofilm formation and causing keratitis in the rabbit model. This is the first report demonstrating the novel role of mycolyltransferase in causing ocular infections. Overall, our findings contribute to a better understanding of pathogenesis and provide a potential target for treatment. Specific inhibitors targeting TmytC could serve as an effective treatment option for infections.
耻垢分枝杆菌是一组多药耐药、革兰阳性、需氧和部分抗酸的细菌,是细菌性结膜炎和角膜炎的新兴病因。然而,角膜炎的发病机制在很大程度上尚不清楚。为了解决这个问题,我们使用新西兰白兔建立了第一个眼部感染模型,并进行了测试,以研究耻垢分枝杆菌角膜炎发病机制。越来越多的证据表明生物膜在眼部感染中起重要作用,这使我们假设生物膜形成对于有效的耻垢分枝杆菌感染至关重要。为了寻找在生物膜形成和角膜炎中起重要作用的潜在候选基因,我们对两个眼部分离株-PW1004 和-PW899 进行了基因组测序,以鉴定潜在的毒力因子。通过基因敲除和互补实验,我们表征了它们在介导角膜炎中的生物学作用。我们的研究结果证实,耻垢分枝杆菌通过满足科赫假设是一种眼部病原体,并且使用基因组序列数据,我们鉴定出编码一种酰基转移酶的基因,该基因在生物膜形成中是一个关键基因,并在兔模型中引起角膜炎。这是首次报道酰基转移酶在引起眼部感染中的新作用。总之,我们的研究结果有助于更好地了解耻垢分枝杆菌的发病机制,并为治疗提供了一个潜在的靶点。针对 TmytC 的特异性抑制剂可作为治疗耻垢分枝杆菌感染的有效治疗选择。