Streptococcus pneumoniae
- Research ArticleMucosal Infections and Invasive Potential of Nonencapsulated Streptococcus pneumoniae Are Enhanced by Oligopeptide Binding Proteins AliC and AliD
Despite the effective, widespread use of licensed pneumococcal vaccines over many decades, pneumococcal infections remain a worldwide burden resulting in high morbidity and mortality. NESp subpopulations are rapidly rising in the wake of capsule-targeted vaccine strategies, yet there is very little knowledge on NESp pathogenic potential and virulence mechanisms. Although NESp lacks a protective capsule, NESp lineages expressing AliC and...
- Research ArticleStreptococcus pneumoniae Modulates Staphylococcus aureus Biofilm Dispersion and the Transition from Colonization to Invasive Disease
In this study, we demonstrate that Streptococcus pneumoniae can modulate the pathogenic potential of Staphylococcus aureus in a model of secondary bacterial pneumonia. We report that host physiological signals related to viral infection cease to elicit a dispersal response from S. aureus while in a dual-species setting with S. pneumoniae, in direct contrast to results of previous studies with each...
- Research ArticleThe NOX Family of Proteins Is Also Present in Bacteria
- Research ArticleStreptococcus pneumoniae Transmission Is Blocked by Type-Specific Immunity in an Infant Mouse Model
Rates of carriage of the bacterial pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae are highest among young children, and this is the target group for the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV). Epidemiological studies have suggested that a major benefit of the PCV is a reduction in host-to-host transmission, which also protects the non-vaccinated population (“herd immunity”). In this study, we examined the role of anti-pneumococcal immunity on...
- Research ArticleAutoinducer 2 Signaling via the Phosphotransferase FruA Drives Galactose Utilization by Streptococcus pneumoniae, Resulting in Hypervirulence
S. pneumoniae is a Gram-positive bacterium frequently carried asymptomatically in the human nasopharynx. However, in a proportion of cases, it can spread to other sites of the body, causing life-threatening diseases that translate into massive global morbidity and mortality. Our data show that AI-2 signaling via FruA promotes the transition of the pneumococcus from colonization to invasion by facilitating the utilization of...
- Editor's Pick Research ArticlePhage-Derived Protein Induces Increased Platelet Activation and Is Associated with Mortality in Patients with Invasive Pneumococcal Disease
The exact mechanisms causing mortality in invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) patients are not completely understood. We examined 349 patients with IPD and found in a bacterial genome-wide association study (GWAS) that the presence of the phage-derived gene pblB was associated with mortality in the first 30 days after hospitalization. Although pblB has been extensively studied in Streptococcus mitis, its...