Noemi dos Santos Macêdo

Mrs. Noemi dos Santos Macêdo

orcid

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

4Years (2023-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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11 April 2023 in Pathogens
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
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JMJéssica da Conceição Mendonça
Jéssica da Conceição Mendonça
JPJoão Matheus Sobral Pena
João Matheus Sobral Pena
NMNoemi dos Santos Macêdo
Noemi dos Santos Macêdo
DRDayane de Souza Rodrigues
Dayane de Souza Rodrigues
DODayane Alvarinho de Oliveira
Dayane Alvarinho de Oliveira
PNPrescilla Emy Nagao
Prescilla Emy Nagao
Streptococcus agalactiae (Group B Streptococcus, GBS) is the leading cause of neonatal sepsis and meningitis but has been recently isolated from non-pregnant adults with underlying medical conditions like diabetes. Despite diabetes being a key risk factor for invasive disease, the pathological consequences during GBS infection remain poorly characterized. Here, we demonstrate the pathogenicity of the GBS90356-ST17 and COH1-ST17 strains in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice. We show that GBS can spread through the bloodstream and colonize several tissues, presenting a higher bacterial count in diabetic-infected mice when compared to non-diabetic-infected mice. Histological sections of the lungs showed inflammatory cell infiltration, collapsed septa, and red blood cell extravasation in the diabetic-infected group. A significant increase in collagen deposition and elastic fibers were also observed in the lungs. Moreover, the diabetic group presented red blood cells that adhered to the valve wall and disorganized cardiac muscle fibers. An increased expression of KC protein, IL-1β, genes encoding immune cell markers, and ROS (reactive oxygen species) production was observed in diabetic-infected mice, suggesting GBS promotes high levels of inflammation when compared to non-diabetic animals. Our data indicate that efforts to reverse the epidemic of diabetes could considerably reduce the incidence of invasive infection, morbidity and mortality due to GBS.