The Journal of Medical Microbiology, Vol 18, Issue 1 125-133, Copyright © 1984 by Society for General Microbiology

JOURNAL ARTICLE

Relationship of iron and extracellular virulence factors to Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung infections

P. A. Sokol and D. E. Woods

The iron concentration in the culture medium used to prepare the inocula influenced the virulence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in a chronic pulmonary infection model in rats. Groups of rats were given transtracheal inocula of agar beads in which were embedded c.10(4) cfu of P. aeruginosa strain PAO and the mutants of strain PAO, Fe5 and Fe18. When strain PAO was grown in low-iron medium before infection, it caused severe parenchymal changes including a dense mononuclear cell infiltration in the alveolar spaces, as well as intra- and peribronchial inflammation. When strain PAO was grown in high-iron medium, the pathological changes in lungs were restricted to intra- and peribronchial inflammation. Strain Fe5, in which the effect of iron on yields of elastase is deregulated, produced similar pathological changes regardless of whether it was grown in low- or high-iron media. All rats infected with strain Fe18, in which the effect of iron on yields of toxin A is deregulated, died within 48 h after infection. These data indicate that the iron concentration of the culture medium can influence the pathogenesis of P. aeruginosa in a chronic respiratory infection. These studies also suggest that the regulation of extracellular virulence factors by iron is important in the determination of P. aeruginosa virulence.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				A. Baldwin, P. A. Sokol, J. Parkhill, and E. Mahenthiralingam The Burkholderia cepacia Epidemic Strain Marker Is Part of a Novel Genomic Island Encoding Both Virulence and Metabolism-Associated Genes in Burkholderia cenocepacia Infect. Immun., March 1, 2004; 72(3): 1537 - 1547. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. A. Sokol, U. Sajjan, M. B. Visser, S. Gingues, J. Forstner, and C. Kooi The CepIR quorum-sensing system contributes to the virulence of Burkholderia cenocepacia respiratory infections Microbiology, December 1, 2003; 149(12): 3649 - 3658. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. P. Bernier, L. Silo-Suh, D. E. Woods, D. E. Ohman, and P. A. Sokol Comparative Analysis of Plant and Animal Models for Characterization of Burkholderia cepacia Virulence Infect. Immun., September 1, 2003; 71(9): 5306 - 5313. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G. A. McKay, D. E. Woods, K. L. MacDonald, and K. Poole Role of Phosphoglucomutase of Stenotrophomonasmaltophilia in Lipopolysaccharide Biosynthesis, Virulence, and Antibiotic Resistance Infect. Immun., June 1, 2003; 71(6): 3068 - 3075. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. Silo-Suh, S.-J. Suh, P. A. Sokol, and D. E. Ohman A simple alfalfa seedling infection model for Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains associated with cystic fibrosis shows AlgT (sigma-22) and RhlR contribute to pathogenesis PNAS, November 26, 2002; 99(24): 15699 - 15704. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. A. Sokol, P. Darling, S. Lewenza, C. R. Corbett, and C. D. Kooi Identification of a Siderophore Receptor Required for Ferric Ornibactin Uptake in Burkholderia cepacia Infect. Immun., December 1, 2000; 68(12): 6554 - 6560. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Fishbane, J. K. Maesaka, and S. K. Mittal Is there material hazard to treatment with intravenous iron? Nephrol. Dial. Transplant., November 1, 1999; 14(11): 2595 - 2598. [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. M. CANTIN and D. E. WOODS Aerosolized Prolastin Suppresses Bacterial Proliferation in a Model of Chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa Lung Infection Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., October 1, 1999; 160(4): 1130 - 1135. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				P. A. Sokol, P. Darling, D. E. Woods, E. Mahenthiralingam, and C. Kooi Role of Ornibactin Biosynthesis in the Virulence of Burkholderia cepacia: Characterization of pvdA, the Gene Encoding L-Ornithine N5-Oxygenase Infect. Immun., September 1, 1999; 67(9): 4443 - 4455. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]