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Dietary Manganese Promotes Staphylococcal Infection of the Heart

Lillian J Juttukonda1, Evelien T M Berends2, Joseph P Zackular1

  • 1Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 1161 21(st) Avenue South, MCN A-5102, Nashville, TN 37232, USA.

Cell Host & Microbe
|September 26, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Dietary manganese (Mn) supplementation enhances Staphylococcus aureus virulence and fatal heart infections in mice. High Mn diets overwhelm host defenses, making bacteria more resistant to immune cells and leading to increased mortality.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Immunology
  • Nutritional Science

Background:

  • Dietary metals can influence infection risk.
  • Mechanisms by which manganese (Mn) affects infection are not well understood.
  • Staphylococcus aureus causes bacterial endocarditis, a serious systemic infection.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how dietary manganese levels impact Staphylococcus aureus infection outcomes.
  • To explore the role of manganese bioavailability in bacterial virulence and host defense.

Main Methods:

  • Mice were fed diets with varying manganese levels.
  • Infection models using Staphylococcus aureus were established, focusing on systemic and heart infections.
  • Manganese levels and localization in infected tissues were analyzed.
  • Bacterial virulence factors and host immune responses were assessed.

Main Results:

  • High dietary manganese increased Staphylococcus aureus virulence and mortality from endocarditis in mice.
  • Elevated manganese levels were observed in infected tissues of mice on high Mn diets.
  • The host's manganese-sequestering protein, calprotectin, did not limit manganese availability within heart abscesses.
  • Excess bioavailable manganese in the heart enhanced Staphylococcus aureus's ability to neutralize reactive oxygen species and resist neutrophil killing.

Conclusions:

  • Dietary manganese levels significantly dictate the outcome of Staphylococcus aureus infections.
  • Excess manganese bioavailability in the heart promotes bacterial survival and virulence.
  • Dietary modifications can overwhelm host antimicrobial strategies, leading to severe infections.
Keywords:
Staphylococcus aureusbacterial pathogenesiscalprotectindietendocarditismanganeseneutrophilsnutritional immunityoxidative stress

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