Impact of Pseudomonas aeruginosa quorum sensing on biofilm persistence in an in vivo intraperitoneal foreign-body infection model

Louise Dahl Christensen, Claus Moser, Peter Østrup Jensen, Thomas B Rasmussen, Lars Christophersen, Staffan Kjelleberg, Naresh Kumar, Niels Høiby, Michael Givskov, Thomas Bjarnsholt

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    Abstract

    Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic human pathogen that causes chronic biofilm-based infections in host organisms. P. aeruginosa employs quorum sensing (QS) to control expression of its virulence, and to establish and maintain chronic infections. Under such conditions, the biofilm mode of growth contributes significantly to P. aeruginosa tolerance to the action of the innate and adaptive defence system and numerous antibiotics. In the present study, an in vivo foreign-body infection model was established in the peritoneal cavity of mice. Experimental data showed that QS-deficient P. aeruginosa are cleared more rapidly from silicone implants as compared to their wild-type counterparts. Concurrently, treatment with the QS inhibitor furanone C-30 of mice harbouring implants colonized with the wild-type P. aeruginosa resulted in a significantly faster clearing of the implants as compared to the placebo-treated group. These results were obtained with both an inbred (BALB/c) and an outbred (NMRI) mouse strain. The present results support a model by which functional QS systems play a pivotal role in the ability of bacteria to resist clearing by the innate immune system and strongly suggest that the efficiency of the mouse innate defence against biofilm-forming P. aeruginosa is improved when the bacteria are treated with QS drugs that induce QS deficiency.
    Original languageEnglish
    JournalMicrobiology
    Volume153
    Issue numberPt 7
    Pages (from-to)2312-20
    Number of pages8
    ISSN1350-0872
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2007

    Bibliographical note

    Keywords: Animals; Biofilms; Injections, Intraperitoneal; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Models, Animal; Pseudomonas Infections; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Quorum Sensing

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