Host response and bacterial virulence factor expression in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Streptococcus pneumoniae corneal ulcers.

ABSTRACT: P. aeruginosa and S. pneumoniae are major bacterial causes of corneal ulcers in industrialized and in developing countries. The current study examined host innate immune responses at the site of infection, and also expression of bacterial virulence factors in clinical isolates from patients in south India. Corneal ulcer material was obtained from 49 patients with confirmed P. aeruginosa and 27 patients with S. pneumoniae, and gene expression of Toll Like Receptors (TLR), cytokines and inflammasome proteins was measured by quantitative PCR. Expression of P. aeruginosa type III secretion exotoxins and S. pneumoniae pneumolysin was detected by western blot analysis. We found that neutrophils comprised >90% cells in corneal ulcers, and that there was elevated expression of TLR2, TLR4, TLR5 and

SUBMITTER: Karthikeyan RS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3672173 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature