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Updated: Jun 21, 2026

Following in Real Time the Impact of Pneumococcal Virulence Factors in an Acute Mouse Pneumonia Model Using Bioluminescent Bacteria
Published on: February 23, 2014
Virulence of pneumococcal proteins on the inner ear
Patricia A Schachern1, Vladimir Tsuprun, Sebahattin Cureoglu
1Department of Otolaryngology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA. schac002@tc.umn.edu
Objective:
To investigate the effects of the virulence characteristics of specific pneumococcal proteins on the inner ear.
Main Outcome Measures:
A histologic comparison of inflammatory cell infiltration and pathologic changes in the round window membrane and inner ear.
Results:
Most of the animals inoculated with high-dose pneumolysin or wild-type bacteria showed severe pathologic changes of the inner ears. The inner ears of most animals inoculated with surface protein A or surface antigen A-deficient bacteria appeared normal.
Conclusions:
Pneumococcal surface protein A and pneumococcal surface antigen A are 2 important virulence factors in inner ear damage secondary to pneumococcal otitis media. Mutation of these virulence factors results in less inner ear damage.
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