Francisella tularensis is able to survive and grow within macrophages, a trait that contributes to pathogenesis. Several genes have been identified that are important for intramacrophage survival, including mglA and iglC. F. tularensis is also able to survive within amoebae. It is shown here that F. tularensis mglA and iglC mutant strains are not only defective for survival and replication within the macrophage-like cell line J774, but also within Acanthamoebae castellanii . Moreover, these strains are highly attenuated for virulence in mice, suggesting that a common mechanism underlies intramacrophage and intraamoebae survival and virulence. A 2D gel analysis of cell extracts of wild-type and mglA mutant strains revealed that at least seven prominent proteins were at low levels in the mglA mutant, and one MglA-regulated protein was identified as the IglC protein. RT-PCR analysis demonstrated reduced transcription of iglC and several other known and suspected virulence genes in the mglA mutant. Thus, MglA regulates the transcription of virulence factors of F. tularensis that contribute to intramacrophage and intraamoebae survival.

A biofilm is a community of microbes that typically inhabit on surfaces and are encased in an extracellular matrix. Biofilms display very dissimilar characteristics to their planktonic counterparts. Biofilms are ubiquitous in the environment and influence our lives tremendously in both positive and negative ways. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a bacterium known to produce robust biofilms. P. aeruginosa biofilms cause severe problems in immunocompromised patients, including those with cystic fibrosis or wound infection. Moreover, the unique biofilm properties further complicate the eradication of the biofilm infection, leading to the development of chronic infections. In this review, we discuss the history of biofilm research and general characteristics of bacterial biofilms. Then, distinct features pertaining to each stage of P. aeruginosa biofilm development are highlighted. Furthermore, infections caused by biofilms on their own or in association with other bacterial species (i.e., multispecies biofilms) are discussed in detail.

Mucoid, mucA mutant Pseudomonas aeruginosa cause chronic lung infections in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients and are refractory to phagocytosis and antibiotics. Here we show that mucoid bacteria perish during anaerobic exposure to 15 mM nitrite (NO₂^–) at pH 6.5, which mimics CF airway mucus. Killing required a pH lower than 7, implicating formation of nitrous acid (HNO₂) and NO, that adds NO equivalents to cellular molecules. Eighty-seven percent of CF isolates possessed mucA mutations and were killed by HNO₂ (3-log reduction in 4 days). Furthermore, antibiotic-resistant strains determined were also equally sensitive to HNO₂. More importantly, HNO₂ killed mucoid bacteria (a) in anaerobic biofilms; (b) in vitro in ultrasupernatants of airway secretions derived from explanted CF patient lungs; and (c) in mouse lungs in vivo in a pH-dependent fashion, with no organisms remaining after daily exposure to HNO₂ for 16 days. HNO₂ at these levels of acidity and NO₂^– also had no adverse effects on cultured human airway epithelia in vitro. In summary, selective killing by HNO₂ may provide novel insights into the important clinical goal of eradicating mucoid P. aeruginosa from the CF airways.

Yoon MY, et al. Yonsei Med J. 2018 Jan;59(1):4-12. https://doi.org/10.3349/ymj.2018.59.1.4