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A novel virulence gene in Klebsiella pneumoniae strains causing primary liver abscess and septic metastatic complications.

ABSTRACT: Primary Klebsiella pneumoniae liver abscess complicated with metastatic meningitis or endophthalmitis is a globally emerging infectious disease. Its pathogenic mechanism remains unclear. The bacterial virulence factors were explored by comparing clinical isolates. Differences in mucoviscosity were observed between strains that caused primary liver abscess (invasive) and those that did not (noninvasive). Hypermucoviscosity correlated with a high serum resistance and was more prevalent in invasive strains (52/53 vs. 9/52; P < 0.0001). Transposon mutagenesis identified candidate virulence genes. A novel 1.2-kb locus, magA, which encoded a 43-kD outer membrane protein, was significantly more prevalent in invasive strains (52/53 vs. 14/52; P < 0.0001). The wild-type strain produced a mucoviscous exopolysaccharide web, actively proliferated in nonimmune human serum, resisted phagocytosis, and caused liver microabscess and meningitis in mice. However, magA- mutants lost the exopolysaccharide web and became extremely serum sensitive, phagocytosis susceptible, and avirulent to mice. Virulence was restored by complementation using a magA-containing plasmid. We conclude that magA fits molecular Koch's postulates as a virulence gene. Thus, this locus can be used as a marker for the rapid diagnosis and for tracing the source of this emerging infectious disease.

SUBMITTER: Fang CT

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2213305 | biostudies-literature | 2004 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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A novel virulence gene in Klebsiella pneumoniae strains causing primary liver abscess and septic metastatic complications.

Fang Chi-Tai CT Chuang Yi-Ping YP Shun Chia-Tung CT Chang Shan-Chwen SC Wang Jin-Town JT

The Journal of experimental medicine 20040301 5

Primary Klebsiella pneumoniae liver abscess complicated with metastatic meningitis or endophthalmitis is a globally emerging infectious disease. Its pathogenic mechanism remains unclear. The bacterial virulence factors were explored by comparing clinical isolates. Differences in mucoviscosity were observed between strains that caused primary liver abscess (invasive) and those that did not (noninvasive). Hypermucoviscosity correlated with a high serum resistance and was more prevalent in invasive ...[more]

PMID: 14993253

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Project description:BACKGROUND: Community-acquired pyogenic liver abscess (PLA) complicated with meningitis and endophthalmitis caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae is an emerging infectious disease. To investigate the mechanisms and effects of biofilm formation of K. pneumoniae causing PLA, microtiter plate assays were used to determine the levels of biofilm formed by K. pneumoniae clinical isolates and to screen for biofilm-altered mutants from a transposon mutant library of a K. pneumoniae PLA-associated strain. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The biofilm formation of K. pneumoniae was examined by microtiter plate assay. Higher levels of biofilm formation were demonstrated by K. pneumoniae strains associated with PLA. A total of 23 biofilm-decreased mutants and 4 biofilm-increased mutants were identified. Among these mutants, a biofilm-decreased treC mutant displayed less mucoviscosity and produced less capsular polysaccharide (CPS), whereas a biofilm-increased sugE mutant displayed higher mucoviscosity and produced more CPS. The biofilm phenotypes of treC and sugE mutants also were confirmed by glass slide culture. Deletion of treC, which encodes trehalose-6-phosphate hydrolase, impaired bacterial trehalose utilization. Addition of glucose to the culture medium restored the capsule production and biofilm formation in the treC mutant. Transcriptional profile analysis suggested that the increase of CPS production in ?sugE may reflect elevated cps gene expression (upregulated through rmpA) in combination with increased treC expression. In vivo competition assays demonstrated that the treC mutant strain was attenuated in competitiveness during intragastric infection in mice. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Genes important for biofilm formation by K. pneumoniae PLA strain were identified using an in vitro assay. Among the identified genes, treC and sugE affect biofilm formation by modulating CPS production. The importance of treC in gastrointestinal tract colonization suggests that biofilm formation contributes to the establishment and persistence of K. pneumoniae infection.

Dataset Information

A novel virulence gene in Klebsiella pneumoniae strains causing primary liver abscess and septic metastatic complications.

Publications

A novel virulence gene in Klebsiella pneumoniae strains causing primary liver abscess and septic metastatic complications.

Similar Datasets

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