Immunoprophylaxis and immunotherapy of experimental Pseudomonas aeruginosa sepsis

The protective activity of pyoimmunogen II, lot 9, was studied on P. aeruginosa experimental sepsis used as a model. In experiments on rats the preparation was shown to be nontoxic according to the results of the determination of acute and chronic toxicity. The preparation under test produced a high protective effect in experiments on animals infected with various P. aeruginosa strains, irrespective of their virulence and immunotype. Anti-P. aeruginosa plasma, obtained by plasmapheresis from donors immunized with pyoimmunogen II, showed a curative effect when injected into experimental animals in a dose of 0.02 ml/g body weight at early stages of the infection.     

Production and experimental testing of the polyvalency of corpuscular vaccine for the prevention of Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections II. Experimental testing of the immunogenicity of polyvalent corpuscular Pseudomonas aeruginosa vaccine

Newly developed P. aeruginosa vaccine has been shown to be safe and apyrogenic for experimental animals. Immunization with the vaccine in a single injection of 0.5 ml has been found to ensure the protection of 80--98% of mice from lethal infection caused by virulent vaccine strains, with the exception of P. aeruginosa strain No. 1311, for 9 weeks. Immunity to P. aeruginosa strain No. 1311 develops only by day 56 after vaccination. No sharp correlation between the specific agglutinin level and the degree of protective effect induced by the immunization of animals with the polyvalent vaccine has been established. The vaccine has been shown to possess high immunogenicity in respect to clinical P. aeruginosa strains belonging to different serotypes (homo- and heterological vaccine strains).     

Pseudomonas aeruginosa toxoid

P. aeruginosa adsorbed toxoid has been obtained. The stabilization of exotoxins and the content of proteases, hemolysin, lecithinase in their structure have been found to enhance the immunogenic potency of preparations which protect test animals from death caused by the experimental injections of toxins, homologous and heterologous to bacterial strains of different O-serogroups, into these animals. Antibodies neutralizing the lethal action of P. aeruginosa exotoxin have been detected in the blood sera of immunized animals.     

Natriuretic peptides affect Pseudomonas aeruginosa and specifically modify lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis

Natriuretic peptides of various forms are present in animals and plants, and display structural similarities to cyclic antibacterial peptides. Pretreatment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 with brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) or C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) increases bacterium-induced glial cell necrosis. In eukaryotes, natriuretic peptides act through receptors coupled to cyclases. We observed that stable analogs of cAMP (dibutyryl cAMP) and cGMP (8-bromo-cGMP) mimicked the effect of brain natriuretic peptide and CNP on bacteria. Further evidence for the involvement of bacterial cyclases in the regulation of P. aeruginosa PAO1 cytotoxicity by natriuretic peptides is provided by the observed doubling of intrabacterial cAMP concentration after exposure to CNP. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) extracted from P. aeruginosa PAO1 treated with both dibutyryl cAMP and 8-bromo-cGMP induces higher levels of necrosis than LPS extracted from untreated bacteria. Capillary electrophoresis and MALDI-TOF MS analysis have shown that differences in LPS toxicity are due to specific differences in the structure of the macromolecule. Using a strain deleted in the vfr gene, we showed that the Vfr protein is essential for the effect of natriuretic peptides on P. aeruginosa PAO1 virulence. These data support the hypothesis that P. aeruginosa has a cyclic nucleotide-dependent natriuretic peptide sensor system that may affect virulence by activating the expression of Vfr and LPS biosynthesis.     

Elastolytic activity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa elastase

Elastolysis of insoluble elastin by Pseudomonas aeruginosa elastase was found to be less specific (higher apparent Km value) but more active (higher activity) than with pancreatic elastase. Furthermore, pancreatic and P. aeruginosa elastases act synergistically during the initial stages of elastolysis. After extensive hydrolysis, the size distribution of digestion products was lower with P. aeruginosa than with pancreatic elastase. The higher extent of hydrolysis may be explained by the fact that, if pancreatic elastase needs at least six sub-sites for activity, P. aeruginosa elastase may hydrolyse tetrapeptides such as tetraalanine, or synthetic substrates such as furylacryloyltripeptides FA-X-Leu-Y, X and Y being Gly and/or Ala.     

Production of cytotoxin by clinical strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Presence of cytotoxin was studied in extracts of 57 strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (46 bacteremia, 4 environmental, and 7 Fisher immunotype), 10 Pseudomonas species, and 7 nonpseudomonas isolates. Cytotoxin was identified by Western immunoblot in extracts of all P. aeruginosa isolates. None of the Pseudomonas species or nonpseudomonas isolates were shown to produce this protein. No immunologic cross-reactivity was observed between cytotoxin antibody and P. aeruginosa alkaline protease, toxin A, or elastase. In partially purified extracts of two bacteremia strains and PA 158 (parent strain for cytotoxin production), detection of cytotoxin by Western immunoblot was correlated with biological activity, as measured by the cell swelling assay. Cytotoxin appears to be produced by all strains of P. aeruginosa and biological activity can be demonstrated in extracts of the strains tested. This biological activity is neutralized by specific antibody. Because of its known marked cytotoxic effect on most eukaryotic cells, P. aeruginosa cytotoxin might be an important factor in the pathogenesis of P. aeruginosa infections.     

Evaluation of properties of Pseudomonas aeruginosa recombinant outer membrane protein F (OprF)

Study showed that synthesis of specific IgG occurs in rabbits immunized with recombinant outer membrane protein F (OprF) of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and that these antibodies inhibit grow of P. aeruginosa in vitro. In vivo studies on mice showed that rabbit hyperimmune sera and recombinant OprF are both able to protect animals from intraperitoneal challenge with P. aeruginosa.     

Influence of the Pseudomonas quinolone signal on denitrification in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Denitrification is a well-studied respiratory system that is also important in the biogeochemical nitrogen cycle. Environmental signals such as oxygen and N-oxides have been demonstrated to regulate denitrification, though how denitrification is regulated in a bacterial community remains obscure. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a ubiquitous bacterium that controls numerous genes through cell-to-cell signals. The bacterium possesses at least two N-acyl-L-homoserine lactone (AHL) signals. In our previous study, these quorum-sensing signals controlled denitrification in P. aeruginosa. In addition to the AHL signals, a third cell-to-cell communication signal, 2-heptyl-3-hydroxy-4-quinolone, referred to as the Pseudomonas quinolone signal (PQS), has been characterized. In this study, we examined the effect of PQS on denitrification to obtain more insight into the respiratory regulation in a bacterial community. Denitrification in P. aeruginosa was repressed by PQS, which was partially mediated by PqsR and PqsE. Measuring the denitrifying enzyme activities indicated that nitrite reductase activity was increased by PQS, whereas PQS inhibited nitric oxide reductase and the nitrate-respiratory chain activities. This is the first report to demonstrate that PQS influences enzyme activities, suggesting this effect is not specific to P. aeruginosa. Furthermore, when iron was supplied to the PQS-added medium, denitrifying activity was almost restored, indicating that the iron chelating property of PQS affected denitrification. Thus, our data indicate that PQS regulates denitrification primarily through iron chelation. The PQS effect on denitrification was relevant in a condition where oxygen was limited and denitrification was induced, suggesting its role in controlling denitrification where oxygen is present.     

Protective action of a corpuscular polyvalent Pseudomonas aeruginosa vaccine against representative enterobacteria

Animal experiments have demonstrated that P. aeruginosa vaccine is capable of protecting animals from experimental P. aeruginosa infection, as well as rendering a protective effect with respect to some representatives of the family Enterobacteriaceae. The comparative study of the antigenic spectra of the vaccine strains and some representatives of Enterobacteriaceae (Enterobacter, Serratia, Citrobacter and Klebsiella) has revealed no direct relationship between the degree of this protective effect and the presence of common antigenic determinants in them.     

北京地区实验动物绿脓杆菌分离株MLVA分型

目的通过多位点可变数目串联重复序列分析（multiple-locus variable-number tandem-repeat analysis,MLVA）分型方法,研究北京地区实验动物绿脓杆菌分离株基因型和分布情况。方法选择13个可变数目重复序列（variable-number tandem-repeat,VNTR）位点,对实验动物及设施中检测出的141株绿脓杆菌的基因组DNA进行重复序列扩增,所得指纹图谱使用BioNumerics软件进行聚类分析,绘制系统发育树和最小生成树（minimum spanning tree,MST）。结果所采用的13个VNTR位点能够对全部分离株进行有效分型。141株绿脓杆菌主要被分为了3个基因群,56个基因型。各群所占比例分别为A群82.3%,B群占12.8%,C群占5.0%,辛普森多样性指数为0.763。同一区域内相邻实验动物单位的绿脓杆菌分离株同源关系较远。结论 MLVA方法对绿脓杆菌具有很好的分型能力,能够有效的追踪绿脓杆菌的来源。北京地区实验动物中绿脓杆菌分离株基因型多态性丰富,但无地域性同源关系。     

Expression of the argF gene of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Pseudomonas putida, and Escherichia coli

R' plasmids carrying argF genes from Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains PAO and PAC were transferred to Pseudomonas putida argF and Escherichia coli argF strains. Expression in P. putida was similar to that in P. aeruginosa and was repressed by exogenous arginine. Expression in E. coli was 2 to 4% of that in P. aeruginosa. Exogenous arginine had no effect, and there were no significant differences between argR' and argR strains of E. coli in this respect.     

Dissociation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Zierdt, C. H. (National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md.), and P. J. Schmidt. Dissociation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. J. Bacteriol. 87:1003-1010. 1964.-Evidence is presented that dissociation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa occurs in vivo as well as in vitro, although it is suppressed in the blood stream. Of 116 primary cultures on blood agar, 77 (66%) had more than one colony type, with a range of 2 to 6 types per culture. Dissociation was studied in 14 primary cultures during 30 serial blood agar passages. Six of these did not dissociate. Of the six, three were originally primary monocolony strains, and three were strains with two colonial types. Seven of the remaining eight cultures had more than one colony type on the primary culture plate. These eight cultures were observed to dissociate at varying rates; 25 morphological and biochemical tests failed to reveal important differences in the colonial dissociants. However, they may be differentiated by bacteriophage action. Colonial morphology in a given strain of P. aeruginosa can be correlated with its bacteriophage lytic pattern, but patterns frequently undergo drastic change during subculture of the organism. The frequently seen different colonial forms in a specific primary culture are usually related, as proven by bacteriophage typing. Phenotypic colony changes after lysogenization were observed. Mucoid colonial variants are markedly more sensitive than are the nonmucoid to streptomycin, tetracycline, and chloramphenicol.     

Effectiveness of a polyvalent corpuscular Pseudomonas aeruginosa vaccine, antibiotics and their combinations in experimental chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection

The data on the development of the experimental model of P. aeruginosa chronic infection in mice, produced by their intraperitoneal inoculation with the infective agent, and on the study of the properties of this model are presented. The model has been used in the experimental study of the preventive action of P. aeruginosa polyvalent corpuscular vaccine. The comparative study, carried out with the use of the proposed model, has been made with a view to evaluating the effectiveness of different methods for the treatment of P. aeruginosa chronic septic infection by means of antibiotics (polymixin B and tobramycin), P. aeruginosa polyvalent corpuscular vaccine and their combination. The combined use of this vaccine with antibiotics (polymixin B or tobramycin) has proved to give the most pronounced curative effect with respect to P. aeruginosa chronic infection.     

Quorum sensing in Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms

In nature, the bulk of bacterial biomass is believed to exist as an adherent community of cells called a biofilm. Pseudomonas aeruginosa has become a model organism for studying this mode of growth. Over the past decade, significant strides have been made towards understanding biofilm development in P. aeruginosa and we now have a clearer picture of the mechanisms involved. Available evidence suggests that construction of these sessile communities proceeds by many different pathways, rather than a specific programme of biofilm development. A cell-to-cell communication mechanism known as quorum sensing (QS) has been found to play a role in P. aeruginosa biofilm formation. Because both QS and biofilms are impacted by the surrounding environment, understanding the full involvement of cell-to-cell signalling in establishing these complex communities represents a challenge. Nevertheless, under set conditions, several links between QS and biofilm formation have been recognized, which is the focus of this review. A role for antibiotics as alternative QS signalling molecules influencing biofilm development is also discussed.     

Pseudomonas aeruginosa attachment and biofilm development in dynamic environments

Biofilm formation by Pseudomonas aeruginosa is hypothesized to follow a developmental pattern initiated by attachment to a surface followed by microcolony formation and mature biofilm development. Swimming and twitching motility are important for attachment and biofilm development in P. aeruginosa. However, it is clear that many P. aeruginosa strains lacking swimming motility exist as biofilms in the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients. Consequently, we have developed a dynamic attachment assay to identify motility-independent attachment-defective mutants. Using transposon mutagenesis, we identified 14 novel dynamic attachment-deficient (dad) mutants including four mutants specific to dynamic assay conditions (dad specific). Two of the dad-specific mutants contain insertions in genes involved in sensing and responding to external stimuli, implying a significant impact of external factors on the biofilm developmental pathway. Observations of initial attachment and long-term biofilm formation characterized our dad mutants into two distinct classes: biofilm delayed and biofilm impaired. Biofilm-delayed mutants form wild-type biofilms but are delayed at least 24 h compared with the wild type, whereas biofilm-impaired mutants never form wild-type biofilms in our assays. We propose a dynamic model for attachment and biofilm formation in P. aeruginosa including these two classes.     

铜绿假单胞菌体外抑菌活性研究

目的 观察铜绿假单胞菌抗菌物质对鲍曼不动杆菌等细菌的体外抑菌效果.方法 用交叉条带实验方法检测了铜绿假单胞菌对鲍曼不动杆菌、耐甲氧西林表皮葡萄球菌和粪肠球菌的体外抑制活性.结果 铜绿假单胞菌对鲍曼不动杆菌、耐甲氧西林表皮葡萄球菌和粪肠球菌体外抑菌活性良好,10株铜绿假单胞菌中,有8株对鲍曼不动杆菌的抑制率均达到了100％.另外有8株对耐甲氧西林表皮葡萄球菌的抑菌率均为100％;有6株对粪肠球菌的抑菌率为100％.结论 铜绿假单胞菌对上述3种致病菌具有较强的抗菌活性,具有开发前景.     

Production of a hyperimmune antitoxic donor plasma against Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Research work has been carried out with the aim of obtaining hyperimmune antitoxic plasma against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Hyperimmune plasma active against P. aeruginosa toxin has been obtained from donors immunized with P. aeruginosa toxoid. The preparation is highly specific and active, which is revealed by in vivo and in vitro tests. The clinical study of the preparation indicates its high efficacy in the treatment of diseases caused by different P. aeruginosa serotypes.     

Mechanism of action of Pseudomonas aeruginosa exotoxin on the macroorganism (experimental studies)

Some problems of the pathogenic action of P. aeruginosa exotoxin on the body have been experimentally studied. Under the conditions of intoxication produced by P. aeruginosa exotoxin pronounced functional disturbances in the main parameters of central hemodynamics and changes in the coagulation properties of the blood and in the free-radical peroxidation of lipids have been found to occur. The manifestation of pathological changes has been shown to have certain specific features in different organs and to depend on the time elapsed after the introduction of exotoxin into the animals.     

CFTR mutations and host susceptibility to Pseudomonas aeruginosa lung infection

The susceptibility of cystic fibrosis patients to bacterial pathogens is associated with deficient airway antimicrobial peptide activity, and airway-surface-liquid dehydration with decreased transport velocity and hypersecretion of mucus. Susceptibility to Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection has been linked to the role of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator protein as a receptor for P. aeruginosa. Binding of P. aeruginosa coordinates lung clearance as part of innate immunity. The function of CFTR in innate immunity to P. aeruginosa infection is multifactorial, with one key component being a specific ligand-receptor interaction between the protein and the microbe.     

Investigations on the efficacy of monovalent Pseudomonas aeruginosa vaccine for oral administration in Pseudomonas aeruginosa experimental infection

Therapeutic efficacy of Pseudomonas aeruginosa vaccine for oral use (10(10) killed germs/ml), prepared from strain 4922, belonging to serotype XV, by Meitert-Meitert scheme, on 4 experimental models in mice (pneumonia, infected burn, septicaemia and urinary tract infection) was studied in comparison with monovalent Ps. aeruginosa vaccine serotype XV (10(9) killed germs/ml) for subcutaneous use and also with associated administration of the two vaccine variants. Mice immunization by using vaccine for oral use was performed by 0.5 ml vaccine per day, for 10 days and vaccine for subcutaneous use was administrated in a volume of 0.5 ml x 2, at 3 days interval. Mice immunization by using the two vaccine types, in association was concomitantly performed and in the same quantity as for separate immunization. In experimental pneumonia, Ps. aeruginosa vaccine for oral use protected mice in 35% of cases, those with infected burns were protected in 33.3% of cases, those with septicemia--in 96.6% of cases and those with urinary tract infection in 50% of cases. As compared to Ps. aeruginosa vaccine for subcutaneous use, the results obtained by vaccine for oral use are less favourable but associated administration of both vaccine variants led to superior results. Thus, in experimental pneumonia, it was obtained a surviving rate of 65% for animals immunized with both vaccine types, in comparison with 50% for animals immunized with vaccine for subcutaneous use only, and in Ps. aeruginosa infected burn, it was obtained a recovering rate of 79.1% for the animals immunized by using both vaccines, in comparison with 70.8% surviving for animals immunized with vaccine for subcutaneous use. In experimental septicaemia and urinary tract infection, combined use of both vaccine variants determined animals surviving and recovering in percents similar to those obtained by separate administration of vaccine for subcutaneous use (in septicemia--100% protection; in urinary tract infection--75% protection).