Bioluminescent Bacterial Imaging In Vivo

This video describes the use of whole body bioluminesce imaging (BLI) for the study of bacterial trafficking in live mice, with an emphasis on the use of bacteria in gene and cell therapy for cancer. Bacteria present an attractive class of vector for cancer therapy, possessing a natural ability to grow preferentially within tumors following systemic administration. Bacteria engineered to express the lux gene cassette permit BLI detection of the bacteria and concurrently tumor sites. The location and levels of bacteria within tumors over time can be readily examined, visualized in two or three dimensions. The method is applicable to a wide range of bacterial species and tumor xenograft types. This article describes the protocol for analysis of bioluminescent bacteria within subcutaneous tumor bearing mice. Visualization of commensal bacteria in the Gastrointestinal tract (GIT) by BLI is also described. This powerful, and cheap, real-time imaging strategy represents an ideal method for the study of bacteria in vivo in the context of cancer research, in particular gene therapy, and infectious disease. This video outlines the procedure for studying lux-tagged E. coli in live mice, demonstrating the spatial and temporal readout achievable utilizing BLI with the IVIS system.     

Modification of Salmonella Typhimurium motility by the probiotic yeast strain Saccharomyces boulardii

Background

Motility is an important component of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (ST) pathogenesis allowing the bacteria to move into appropriate niches, across the mucus layer and invade the intestinal epithelium. In vitro, flagellum-associated motility is closely related to the invasive properties of ST. The probiotic yeast Saccharomyces boulardii BIOCODEX (S.b-B) is widely prescribed for the prophylaxis and treatment of diarrheal diseases caused by bacteria or antibiotics. In case of Salmonella infection, S.b-B has been shown to decrease ST invasion of T84 colon cell line. The present study was designed to investigate the impact of S.b-B on ST motility.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Experiments were performed on human colonic T84 cells infected by the Salmonella strain 1344 alone or in the presence of S.b-B. The motility of Salmonella was recorded by time-lapse video microscopy. Next, a manual tracking was performed to analyze bacteria dynamics (MTrackJ plugin, NIH image J software). This revealed that the speed of bacterial movement was modified in the presence of S.b-B. The median curvilinear velocity (CLV) of Salmonella incubated alone with T84 decreased from 43.3 µm/sec to 31.2 µm/sec in the presence of S.b-B. Measurement of track linearity (TL) showed similar trends: S.b-B decreased by 15% the number of bacteria with linear tract (LT) and increased by 22% the number of bacteria with rotator tract (RT). Correlation between ST motility and invasion was further established by studying a non-motile flagella-deficient ST strain. Indeed this strain that moved with a CLV of 0.5 µm/sec, presented a majority of RT and a significant decrease in invasion properties. Importantly, we show that S.b-B modified the motility of the pathogenic strain SL1344 and significantly decreased invasion of T84 cells by this strain.

Conclusions

This study reveals that S.b-B modifies Salmonella''s motility and trajectory which may account for the modification of Salmonella''s invasion.     

The Role of the st313-td Gene in Virulence of Salmonella Typhimurium ST313

Multidrug-resistant Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium ST313 has emerged in sub-Saharan Africa causing severe infections in humans. Therefore, it has been speculated that this specific sequence type, ST313, carries factors associated with increased pathogenicity. We assessed the role in virulence of a gene with a yet unknown function, st313-td, detected in ST313 through comparative genomics. Additionally, the structure of the genomic island ST313-GI, harbouring the gene was determined. The gene st313-td was cloned into wild type S. Typhimurium 4/74 (4/74-C) as well as knocked out in S. Typhimurium ST313 02–03/002 (Δst313-td) followed by complementation (02-03/002-C). Δst313-td was less virulent in mice following i.p. challenge than the wild type and this phenotype could be partly complemented in trans, indicating that st313-td plays a role during systemic infection. The gene st313-td was shown not to affect invasion of cultured epithelial cells, while the absence of the gene significantly affects uptake and intracellular survival within macrophages. The gene st313-td was proven to be strongly associated to invasiveness, harboured by 92.5% of S. Typhimurium blood isolates (n = 82) and 100% of S. Dublin strains (n = 50) analysed. On the contrary, S. Typhimurium isolates of animal and food origin (n = 82) did not carry st313-td. Six human, non-blood isolates of S. Typhimurium from Belarus, China and Nepal harboured the gene and belonged to sequence types ST398 and ST19. Our data showed a global presence of the st313-td gene and in other sequence types than ST313. The gene st313-td was shown to be expressed during logarithmic phase of growth in 14 selected Salmonella strains carrying the gene. This study reveals that st313-td plays a role in S. Typhimurium ST313 pathogenesis and adds another chapter to understanding of the virulence of S. Typhimurium and in particular of the emerging sequence type ST313.     

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium ΔmsbB Triggers Exacerbated Inflammation in Nod2 Deficient Mice

The intracellular pathogen Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium causes intestinal inflammation characterized by edema, neutrophil influx and increased pro-inflammatory cytokine expression. A major bacterial factor inducing pro-inflammatory host responses is lipopolysaccharide (LPS). S. Typhimurium ΔmsbB possesses a modified lipid A, has reduced virulence in mice, and is being considered as a potential anti-cancer vaccine strain. The lack of a late myristoyl transferase, encoded by MsbB leads to attenuated TLR4 stimulation. However, whether other host receptor pathways are also altered remains unclear. Nod1 and Nod2 are cytosolic pattern recognition receptors recognizing bacterial peptidoglycan. They play important roles in the host''s immune response to enteric pathogens and in immune homeostasis. Here, we investigated how deletion of msbB affects Salmonella''s interaction with Nod1 and Nod2. S. Typhimurium Δ msbB-induced inflammation was significantly exacerbated in Nod2 ^−/− mice compared to C57Bl/6 mice. In addition, S. Typhimurium ΔmsbB maintained robust intestinal colonization in Nod2 ^−/− mice from day 2 to day 7 p.i., whereas colonization levels significantly decreased in C57Bl/6 mice during this time. Similarly, infection of Nod1 ^−/− and Nod1/Nod2 double-knockout mice revealed that both Nod1 and Nod2 play a protective role in S. Typhimurium ΔmsbB-induced colitis. To elucidate why S. Typhimurium ΔmsbB, but not wild-type S. Typhimurium, induced an exacerbated inflammatory response in Nod2 ^−/− mice, we used HEK293 cells which were transiently transfected with pathogen recognition receptors. Stimulation of TLR2-transfected cells with S. Typhimurium ΔmsbB resulted in increased IL-8 production compared to wild-type S. Typhimurium. Our results indicate that S. Typhimurium ΔmsbB triggers exacerbated colitis in the absence of Nod1 and/or Nod2, which is likely due to increased TLR2 stimulation. How bacteria with “genetically detoxified” LPS stimulate various innate responses has important implications for the development of safe and effective bacterial vaccines and adjuvants.     

Use of the mCherry Fluorescent Protein To Study Intestinal Colonization by Enterococcus mundtii ST4SA and Lactobacillus plantarum 423 in Mice

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are natural inhabitants of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of humans and animals, and some LAB species receive considerable attention due to their health benefits. Although many papers have been published on probiotic LAB, only a few reports have been published on the migration and colonization of the cells in the GIT. This is due mostly to the lack of efficient reporter systems. In this study, we report on the application of the fluorescent mCherry protein in the in vivo tagging of the probiotic strains Enterococcus mundtii ST4SA and Lactobacillus plantarum 423. The mCherry gene, encoding a red fluorescent protein (RFP), was integrated into a nonfunctional region on the genome of L. plantarum 423 by homologous recombination. In the case of E. mundtii ST4SA, the mCherry gene was cloned into the pGKV223D LAB/Escherichia coli expression vector. Expression of the mCherry gene did not alter the growth rate of the two strains and had no effect on bacteriocin production. Both strains colonized the cecum and colon of mice.     

Bacteria and Methanogens Differ along the Gastrointestinal Tract of Chinese Roe Deer (Capreolus pygargus)

The current study provides the insight into the bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) and methanogens presented in the rumen and cecum of the Chinese roe deer (Capreolus pygargus). The ruminal, ileal, cecal, and colonic contents, as well as feces, were obtained from each of the three, free-range, roe deer ingesting natural pasture after euthanasia. For the bacterial community, a total of 697,031 high-quality 16S rRNA gene sequences were generated using high-throughput sequencing, and assigned to 2,223 core operational taxonomic units (OTUs) (12 bacterial phyla and 87 genera). The phyla Firmicutes (51.2%) and Bacteroidetes (39.4%) were the dominant bacteria in the GIT of roe deer. However, the bacterial community in the rumen was significantly (P<0.01) different from the other sampled regions along the GIT. Secondly, Prevotella spp., Anaerovibrio spp., and unidentified bacteria within the families Veillonellaceae and Paraprevotellaceae were more abundant in the rumen than in the other regions. Unidentified bacteria within the family Enterobacteriaceae, Succinivibrio spp., and Desulfovibrio spp. were more predominant in the colon than in other regions. Unidentified bacteria within the family Ruminococcaceae, and Bacteroides spp. were more prevalent in the ileum, cecum and fecal pellets. For methanogens in the rumen and cecum, a total of 375,647 high quality 16S rRNA gene sequences were obtained and assigned to 113 core OTUs. Methanobrevibacter millerae was the dominant species accounting for 77.3±7.4 (S.E) % and 68.9±4.4 (S.E) % of total sequences in the rumen and cecum of roe deer, respectively. However, the abundance of Methanobrevibacter smithii was higher in the rumen than in the cecum (P = 0.004). These results revealed that there was intra variation in the bacterial community composition across the GIT of roe deer, and also showed that the methanogen community in the rumen differed from that in the cecum.     

Invasive Salmonella Typhimurium ST313 with Naturally Attenuated Flagellin Elicits Reduced Inflammation and Replicates within Macrophages

Invasive non-typhoidal Salmonella (iNTS) are an important cause of septicemia in children under the age of five years in sub-Saharan Africa. A novel genotype of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium (multi-locus sequence type [ST] 313) circulating in this geographic region is genetically different to from S. Typhimurium ST19 strains that are common throughout the rest of the world. S. Typhimurium ST313 strains have acquired pseudogenes and genetic deletions and appear to be evolving to become more like the typhoidal serovars S. Typhi and S. Paratyphi A. Epidemiological and clinical data show that S. Typhimurium ST313 strains are clinically associated with invasive systemic disease (bacteremia, septicemia, meningitis) rather than with gastroenteritis. The current work summarizes investigations of the broad hypothesis that S. Typhimurium ST313 isolates from Mali, West Africa, will behave differently from ST19 isolates in various in vitro assays. Here, we show that strains of the ST313 genotype are phagocytosed more efficiently and are highly resistant to killing by macrophage cell lines and primary mouse and human macrophages compared to ST19 strains. S. Typhimurium ST313 strains survived and replicated within different macrophages. Infection of macrophages with S. Typhimurium ST19 strains resulted in increased apoptosis and higher production of proinflammatory cytokines, as measured by gene expression and protein production, compared to S. Typhimurium ST313 strains. This difference in proinflammatory cytokine production and cell death between S. Typhimurium ST19 and ST313 strains could be explained, in part, by an increased production of flagellin by ST19 strains. These observations provide further evidence that S. Typhimurium ST313 strains are phenotypically different to ST19 strains and instead share similar pathogenic characteristics with typhoidal Salmonella serovars.     

Coptidis rhizome and Si Jun Zi Tang Can Prevent Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium Infection in Mice

Salmonella, a common zoonotic pathogen, causes gastroenteritis in both humans and animals. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been used to improve gastrointestinal dysfunction and to modify the immune response to inflammation for centuries. This study used six herbal plants and four TCM formulae to rate their efficacy in preventing S. Typhimurium infection via mouse model. Minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of Coptidis rhizome (CR) against the reference strain tallied 12.5 mg/ml and against clinical isolate ST21 was 25 mg/ml. MBCs of other herbal extracts and formulae on Salmonella Typhimurium strains were above 50 mg/ml. In the mice model, CR and Si Jun Zi Tang (SJZT) could significantly decrease the bacterial load in organs and blood after being challenged, along with body weight loss due to the infection. CR and SJZT alleviated infection-induced interferon-gamma levels in the serum and tissues, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) levels in intestinal tissues. CR and SJZT serum metabolites could suppress S. Typhimurium invasion and TNF-α expression in RAW264.7 cells. The therapeutic activity of CR and SJZT may involve berberine, ginsenoside Rb1, and glycyrrhizin, interfering with Salmonella when invading macrophages. CR and SJZT has shown potential in preventing S. Typhimurium infection through the regulation of the immune response.     

Signatures of Adaptation in Human Invasive Salmonella Typhimurium ST313 Populations from Sub-Saharan Africa

Two lineages of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) of multi-locus sequence type ST313 have been linked with the emergence of invasive Salmonella disease across sub-Saharan Africa. The expansion of these lineages has a temporal association with the HIV pandemic and antibiotic usage. We analysed the whole genome sequence of 129 ST313 isolates representative of the two lineages and found evidence of lineage-specific genome degradation, with some similarities to that observed in S. Typhi. Individual ST313 S. Typhimurium isolates exhibit a distinct metabolic signature and modified enteropathogenesis in both a murine and cattle model of colitis, compared to S. Typhimurium outside of the ST313 lineages. These data define phenotypes that distinguish ST313 isolates from other S. Typhimurium and may represent adaptation to a distinct pathogenesis and lifestyle linked to an-immuno-compromised human population.     

Deletion of invH gene in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium limits the secretion of Sip effector proteins

The type-III secretion system-I (T3SS-I) of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) is an essential component to mediate active invasion and subsequent inflammation in genetically susceptible C57BL/6 mice. S. Typhimurium translocates its effector proteins through Salmonella Pathogenicity Island-I (SPI-I) encoded T3SS-I needle complex. This study focuses on invH gene of S. Typhimurium, which plays an active role in SPI-I mediated effector protein translocation. The deletion of invH gene in S. Typhimurium reduced the invasion efficiency of the bacterium to 70–80% as compared to wild-type S. Typhimurium (SB300) in vitro. To further investigate the role of invH gene exclusively in SPI-1 mediated inflammation, C57BL/6 mice were infected with S. Typhimurium double mutant deficient in invH and ssaV. Results indicated significant difference in the degree of cecal inflammation between wild-type S. Typhimurium and double mutant at 12 h and 48 h post infection. However this difference was found to be more prominent at 12 h p.i. In line with our findings, analysis of effector protein secretion in invH, ssaV double mutant showed reduced secretion of Sip effector proteins (SipA, SipB, SipC and SipD) as compared to the wild-type strain. The inflammation phenotype was restored on complementing invH to its respective double mutant strain. Altogether, the current study proposes a possible role of invH gene in early cecal inflammation by Salmonella Typhimurium in mice colitis model.     

Intraspecies Competition for Niches in the Distal Gut Dictate Transmission during Persistent Salmonella Infection

In order to be transmitted, a pathogen must first successfully colonize and multiply within a host. Ecological principles can be applied to study host-pathogen interactions to predict transmission dynamics. Little is known about the population biology of Salmonella during persistent infection. To define Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium population structure in this context, 129SvJ mice were oral gavaged with a mixture of eight wild-type isogenic tagged Salmonella (WITS) strains. Distinct subpopulations arose within intestinal and systemic tissues after 35 days, and clonal expansion of the cecal and colonic subpopulation was responsible for increases in Salmonella fecal shedding. A co-infection system utilizing differentially marked isogenic strains was developed in which each mouse received one strain orally and the other systemically by intraperitoneal (IP) injection. Co-infections demonstrated that the intestinal subpopulation exerted intraspecies priority effects by excluding systemic S. Typhimurium from colonizing an extracellular niche within the cecum and colon. Importantly, the systemic strain was excluded from these distal gut sites and was not transmitted to naïve hosts. In addition, S. Typhimurium required hydrogenase, an enzyme that mediates acquisition of hydrogen from the gut microbiota, during the first week of infection to exert priority effects in the gut. Thus, early inhibitory priority effects are facilitated by the acquisition of nutrients, which allow S. Typhimurium to successfully compete for a nutritional niche in the distal gut. We also show that intraspecies colonization resistance is maintained by Salmonella Pathogenicity Islands SPI1 and SPI2 during persistent distal gut infection. Thus, important virulence effectors not only modulate interactions with host cells, but are crucial for Salmonella colonization of an extracellular intestinal niche and thereby also shape intraspecies dynamics. We conclude that priority effects and intraspecies competition for colonization niches in the distal gut control Salmonella population assembly and transmission.     

Persistent Salmonellosis Causes Pancreatitis in a Murine Model of Infection

Pancreatitis, a known risk factor for the development of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, is a serious, widespread medical condition usually caused by alcohol abuse or gallstone-mediated ductal obstruction. However, many cases of pancreatitis are of an unknown etiology. Pancreatitis has been linked to bacterial infection, but causality has yet to be established. Here, we found that persistent infection of mice with the bacterial pathogen Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) was sufficient to induce pancreatitis reminiscent of the human disease. Specifically, we found that pancreatitis induced by persistent S. Typhimurium infection was characterized by a loss of pancreatic acinar cells, acinar-to-ductal metaplasia, fibrosis and accumulation of inflammatory cells, including CD11b⁺ F4/80⁺, CD11b⁺ Ly6C^int Ly6G⁺ and CD11b⁺ Ly6C^hi Ly6G⁻ cells. Furthermore, we found that S. Typhimurium colonized and persisted in the pancreas, associated with pancreatic acinar cells in vivo, and could invade cultured pancreatic acinar cells in vitro. Thus, persistent infection of mice with S. Typhimurium may serve as a useful model for the study of pancreatitis as it relates to bacterial infection. Increased knowledge of how pathogenic bacteria can cause pancreatitis will provide a more integrated picture of the etiology of the disease and could lead to the development of new therapeutic approaches for treatment and prevention of pancreatitis and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.     

Distribution of Gifsy-3 and of Variants of ST64B and Gifsy-1 Prophages amongst Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium Isolates: Evidence that Combinations of Prophages Promote Clonality

Salmonella isolates harbour a range of resident prophages which can influence their virulence and ability to compete and survive in their environment. Phage gene profiling of a range of phage types of Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) indicates a significant level of correlation of phage gene profile with phage type as well as correlation with genotypes determined by a combination of multi-locus variable-number tandem repeat (VNTR) typing and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) typing. Variation in phage gene profiles appears to be partly linked to differences in composition of variants of known prophages. We therefore conducted a study of the distribution of variants of ST64B and Gifsy-1 prophages and coincidently the presence of Gifsy-3 prophage in a range of S. Typhimurium phage types and genotypes. We have discovered two variants of the DT104 variant of ST64B and at least two new variants of Gifsy-1 as well as variants of related phage genes. While there is definite correlation between phage type and the prophage profile based on ST64B and Gifsy-1 variants we find stronger correlation between the VNTR/CRISPR genotype and prophage profile. Further differentiation of some genotypes is obtained by addition of the distribution of Gifsy-3 and a sequence variant of the substituted SB26 gene from the DT104 variant of ST64B. To explain the correlation between genotype and prophage profile we propose that suites of resident prophages promote clonality possibly through superinfection exclusion systems.     

The Emerging Biotherapeutic Agent: Akkermansia

The human gastrointestinal tract (GIT) is a well-recognized hub of microbial activities. The microbiota harboring the mucus layer of the GIT act as a defense against noxious substances, and pathogens including Clostridium difficile, Enterococcus faecium, Escherichia coli, Salmonella Typhimurium. Toxins, pathogens, and antibiotics perturb the commensal floral composition within the GIT. Imbalanced gut microbiota leads to dysbiosis, manifested as diseases ranging from obesity, diabetes, and cancer to reduced lifespan. Among the bacteria present in the gut microbiome, the most beneficial are those representing Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes. Recent studies have revealed the emergence of a novel biotherapeutic agent, Akkermansia, which is instrumental in regaining eubiosis and conferring various health benefits.     

Postnatal differential expression of chemoreceptors of free fatty acids along the gastrointestinal tract of supplemental feeding v. grazing kid goats

The gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of animals is capable of sensing various kinds of nutrients via G-protein coupled receptor-mediated signaling transduction pathways, and the process is known as ‘gut nutrient chemosensing’. GPR40, GPR41, GPR43 and GPR119 are chemoreceptors for free fatty acids (FFAs) and lipid derivatives, but they are not well studied in small ruminants. The objective of this study is to determine the expression of GPR40, GPR41, GPR43 and GPR119 along the GIT of kid goats under supplemental feeding (S) v. grazing (G) during early development. In total, 44 kid goats (initial weight 1.35±0.12 kg) were slaughtered for sampling (rumen, abomasum, duodenum, jejunum, ileum, cecum, colon and rectum) between days 0 and 70. The expression of GPR41 and GPR43 were measured at both mRNA and protein levels, whereas GPR40 and GPR119 were assayed at protein level only. The effects of age and feeding system on their expression were variable depending upon GIT segments, chemoreceptors and expression level (mRNA or protein), and sometimes feeding system × age interactions (P<0.05) were observed. Supplemental feeding enhanced expression of GPR40, GPR41 and GPR43 in most segments of the GIT of goats, whereas G enhanced expression of GPR119. GPR41 and GPR43 were mainly expressed in rumen, abomasum and cecum, with different responses to age and feeding system. GPR41 and GPR43 expression in abomasum at mRNA level was greatly (P<0.01) affected by both age and feeding system; whereas their expression in rumen and abomasum at protein level were different, feeding system greatly (P<0.05) affected GPR41 expression, but had no effect (P>0.05) on GPR43 expression; and there were no feeding system×age interactions (P>0.05) on GPR41 and GPR43 protein expression. The expression of GPR41 and GPR43 in rumen and abomasum linearly (P<0.01) increased with increasing age (from days 0 to 70). Meanwhile, age was the main factor affecting GPR40 expression throughout the GIT. These outcomes indicate that age and feeding system are the two factors affecting chemoreceptors for FFAs and lipid derivatives expression in the GIT of kids goats, and S enhanced the expression of chemoreceptors for FFAs, whereas G gave rise to greater expression of chemoreceptors for lipid derivatives. Our results suggest that enhanced expression of chemoreceptors for FFAs might be one of the benefits of early supplemental feeding offered to young ruminants during early development.     

Expression and Function of S100A8/A9 (Calprotectin) in Human Typhoid Fever and the Murine Salmonella Model

Background

Typhoid fever, caused by the Gram-negative bacterium Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi, is a major cause of community-acquired bacteremia and death worldwide. S100A8 (MRP8) and S100A9 (MRP14) form bioactive antimicrobial heterodimers (calprotectin) that can activate Toll-like receptor 4, promoting lethal, endotoxin-induced shock and multi-organ failure. We aimed to characterize the expression and function of S100A8/A9 in patients with typhoid fever and in a murine invasive Salmonella model.

Methods and principal findings

S100A8/A9 protein levels were determined in acute phase plasma or feces from 28 Bangladeshi patients, and convalescent phase plasma from 60 Indonesian patients with blood culture or PCR-confirmed typhoid fever, and compared to 98 healthy control subjects. To functionally characterize the role of S100A8/A9, we challenged wildtype (WT) and S100A9^-/- mice with S. Typhimurium and determined bacterial loads and inflammation 2- and 5- days post infection. We further assessed the antimicrobial function of recombinant S100A8/A9 on S. Typhimurium and S. Typhi replication in vitro. Typhoid fever patients demonstrated a marked increase of S100A8/A9 in acute phase plasma and feces and this increases correlated with duration of fever prior to admission. S100A8/A9 directly inhibited the growth of S. Typhimurium and S. Typhi in vitro in a dose and time dependent fashion. WT mice inoculated with S. Typhimurium showed increased levels of S100A8/A9 in both the liver and the systemic compartment but S100A9^-/- mice were indistinguishable from WT mice with respect to bacterial growth, survival, and inflammatory responses, as determined by cytokine release, histopathology and organ injury.

Conclusion

S100A8/A9 is markedly elevated in human typhoid, correlates with duration of fever prior to admission and directly inhibits the growth of S. Typhimurium and S. Typhi in vitro. Despite elevated levels in the murine invasive Salmonella model, S100A8/A9 does not contribute to an effective host response against S. Typhimurium in mice.     

Inflammation Fuels Colicin Ib-Dependent Competition of Salmonella Serovar Typhimurium and E. coli in Enterobacterial Blooms

The host''s immune system plays a key role in modulating growth of pathogens and the intestinal microbiota in the gut. In particular, inflammatory bowel disorders and pathogen infections induce shifts of the resident commensal microbiota which can result in overgrowth of Enterobacteriaceae (“inflammation-inflicted blooms”). Here, we investigated competition of the human pathogenic Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium strain SL1344 (S. Tm) and commensal E. coli in inflammation-inflicted blooms. S. Tm produces colicin Ib (ColIb), which is a narrow-spectrum protein toxin active against related Enterobacteriaceae. Production of ColIb conferred a competitive advantage to S. Tm over sensitive E. coli strains in the inflamed gut. In contrast, an avirulent S. Tm mutant strain defective in triggering gut inflammation did not benefit from ColIb. Expression of ColIb (cib) is regulated by iron limitation and the SOS response. CirA, the cognate outer membrane receptor of ColIb on colicin-sensitive E. coli, is induced upon iron limitation. We demonstrate that growth in inflammation-induced blooms favours expression of both S. Tm ColIb and the receptor CirA, thereby fuelling ColIb dependent competition of S. Tm and commensal E. coli in the gut. In conclusion, this study uncovers a so-far unappreciated role of inflammation-inflicted blooms as an environment favouring ColIb-dependent competition of pathogenic and commensal representatives of the Enterobacteriaceae family.     

In Vivo Bioluminescence Imaging for the Study of Intestinal Colonization by Escherichia coli in Mice

Bioluminescence imaging (BLI) is emerging as a powerful tool for real-time monitoring of infections in living animals. However, since luciferases are oxygenases, it has been suggested that the requirement for oxygen may limit the use of BLI in anaerobic environments, such as the lumen of the gut. Strains of Escherichia coli harboring the genes for either the bacterial luciferase from Photorhabdus luminescens or the PpyRE-TS and PpyGR-TS firefly luciferase mutants of Photinus pyralis (red and green thermostable P. pyralis luciferase mutants, respectively) have been engineered and used to monitor intestinal colonization in the streptomycin-treated mouse model. There was excellent correlation between the bioluminescence signal measured in the feces (R² = 0.98) or transcutaneously in the abdominal region of whole animals (R² = 0.99) and the CFU counts in the feces of bacteria harboring the luxABCDE operon. Stability in vivo of the bioluminescence signal was achieved by constructing plasmid pAT881(pGB2ΩP_amiluxABCDE), which allowed long-term monitoring of intestinal colonization without the need for antibiotic selection for plasmid maintenance. Levels of intestinal colonization by various strains of E. coli could be compared directly by simple recording of the bioluminescence signal in living animals. The difference in spectra of light emission of the PpyRE-TS and PpyGR-TS firefly luciferase mutants and dual bioluminescence detection allowed direct in vitro and in vivo quantification of two bacterial populations by measurement of red and green emitted signals and thus monitoring of the two populations simultaneously. This system offers a simple and direct method to study in vitro and in vivo competition between mutants and the parental strain. BLI is a useful tool to study intestinal colonization.Among the wide variety of bacteria that colonize the gastrointestinal tracts of mammals, Escherichia coli is the most abundant facultative anaerobe of the human intestinal microflora. Aside from being part of the normal flora, E. coli is also a versatile organism capable of causing a variety of intestinal and extraintestinal diseases (18). The mechanisms that allow commensal E. coli to colonize the intestine and survive successfully in this niche remain poorly characterized. Conventional mice display natural resistance to colonization by commensal E. coli, but oral administration of streptomycin, which alters the intestinal microflora, allows colonization of the mouse large intestine by this species (25). The streptomycin-treated mouse model has been used extensively to study the factors of gram-negative bacteria implicated in the intestinal colonization process. However, this model is limited to the viable plate counts of bacteria in the feces and misses some critical information, such as the kinetics of colonization, the fate of the bacterial cells across the digestive tract, and the site of colonization. A better understanding of colonization would be facilitated by direct in vivo follow-up of this process.Bioluminescence imaging (BLI) technology is emerging as a powerful tool for the study of a wide range of biological processes in live animals, including real-time monitoring of infections (16). Bioluminescence systems emit visible light due to the luciferase-mediated oxidation of a luciferin substrate. A variety of luciferin-luciferase systems with different peak emissions have been identified in nature from numerous species (14). The luciferase of the soil bacterium Photorhabdus luminescens has been expressed successfully in gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria. This system emits blue-green light, with an emission maximum of approximately 490 nm, and does not require the addition of an exogenous substrate since the luciferase operon contains the genes required for synthesis of the substrate. Therefore, this luciferase has been used extensively to monitor bacterial infections in the living mouse. One of the first investigations with Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium transformed with the lux operon of P. luminescens evaluated the tissue distribution and the virulence of various S. Typhimurium strains (9). Subsequent modification of the lux operon led to the generation of highly bioluminescent Staphylococcus aureus and allowed the monitoring of infections due to this species in living mice (11). The modified lux operon was engineered into a lux-kan transposon cassette for chromosomal integration in gram-positive bacteria, such as S. aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, group A Streptococcus, and Listeria monocytogenes (16). Replication of L. monocytogenes in the lumen of the gall bladder was demonstrated for the first time by BLI (13).Bioluminescent E. coli was used in the neutropenic mouse thigh model of infection to evaluate the in vivo activity of antimicrobial agents (29). Bioluminescence was as indicative of therapeutic efficacy as CFU counts but, in addition, allowed real-time monitoring of the infection and of treatment efficacy in the same animal; however, only short-term monitoring (12 h) could be performed.Because luciferases are oxygenases, it has been suggested that the requirement for oxygen may limit the use of BLI in anaerobic environments, such as the lumen of the gut. After oral administration of bioluminescent Salmonella to susceptible mice, the bioluminescent signal recorded in the abdominal region was greatly enhanced after air exposure (9). It was therefore assumed that direct bioluminescence imaging of intestine-colonizing microorganisms would not be optimal unless oxygen was provided exogenously or as the result of the close interaction between cells and the bacteria (9). However, the bacterial luciferase was used to trace in real time the colonization dynamics by Citrobacter rodentium of the gastrointestinal tracts of living animals, demonstrating that the gut represents a semianaerobic environment that allows the study of bacterial colonization by BLI (33).Factors essential for colonization are best studied in cocolonization experiments (7, 17). There are several luciferases with distinct emission spectra (34) that could be used in competition experiments to trace simultaneously two bacterial populations in the same living animal. However, in order not to impose additional and different metabolic burdens on the bacteria under study, the exogenous luciferases ideally have to be similar to allow comparison between strains. The thermostable luciferase variants PpyRE-TS and PpyGR-TS, derived from wild-type luciferase from the North American firefly Photinus pyralis, emit red (612 nm) and green (552 nm) light, respectively, at 37°C and are encoded by single genes of 1,650 bp, differing by only 9 bp (4). Bioluminescence color is determined by the Ser₂₈₄Thr (PpyRE-TS) and Val₂₄₁Ile, Gly₂₄₆Ala, and Phe₂₅₀Ser (PpyGR-TS) amino acid changes (5, 34). By use of optical filters, the emission spectra are readily distinguishable (4, 5). Five additional mutations provide enhanced thermostability at 37°C (4), improving the compatibility of the enzymes with bacterial culture conditions and BLI in animal models.While the luciferase mutants and all firefly luciferases use as substrates firefly luciferin and ATP to produce light, in vivo imaging is commonly performed with endogenous ATP and requires only exogenous administration of the luciferase substrate.The aim of this study was to develop a dynamic mouse model using in vivo bioluminescence imaging systems to monitor bacterial colonization in situ and in real time in whole living animals. Various strains of E. coli harboring the genes for the bacterial luciferase from P. luminescens or the firefly luciferase mutants (PpyRE-TS and PpyGR-TS) from P. pyralis have been engineered and used to follow bacterial intestinal colonization in mice. BLI was found to be well adapted to compare the intestine-colonizing capacities of various E. coli strains and to monitor cocolonization in vivo by use of dual bioluminescence emission.