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Updated: Dec 29, 2025
Long Term Chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa Airway Infection in Mice
Published on: March 17, 2014
Systemic infection facilitates transmission of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in mice
Kelly E R Bachta1,2, Jonathan P Allen3,4, Bettina H Cheung3
1Department of Microbiology-Immunology, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA. kelly.bachta@northwestern.edu.
Abstract:
Health care-associated infections such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteremia pose a major clinical risk for hospitalized patients. However, these systemic infections are presumed to be a "dead-end" for P. aeruginosa and to have no impact on transmission. Here, we use a mouse infection model to show that P. aeruginosa can spread from the bloodstream to the gallbladder, where it replicates to extremely high numbers. Bacteria in the gallbladder can then seed the intestines and feces, leading to transmission to uninfected cage-mate mice. Our work shows that the gallbladder is crucial for spread of P. aeruginosa from the bloodstream to the feces during bacteremia, a process that promotes transmission in this experimental system. Further research is needed to test to what extent these findings are relevant to infections in patients.
Insights
Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteremia can spread from the bloodstream to the gallbladder, facilitating transmission to others. This finding challenges the notion that these infections are a dead-end for bacterial spread.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Medical Research
Background:
- Health care-associated infections, like Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteremia, represent a significant clinical threat to hospitalized individuals.
- Systemic P. aeruginosa infections have been historically considered a "dead-end" regarding pathogen transmission.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the potential transmission routes of P. aeruginosa from the bloodstream during bacteremia.
- To determine if P. aeruginosa bacteremia can lead to onward transmission of the pathogen.
Main Methods:
- A mouse infection model was utilized to study the dynamics of P. aeruginosa during bacteremia.
- The study tracked the movement of P. aeruginosa from the bloodstream to other organs and its shedding into feces.
Main Results:
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa was observed to spread from the bloodstream to the gallbladder in the mouse model.
- The gallbladder served as a reservoir for high-level replication of P. aeruginosa.
- Gallbladder bacteria subsequently colonized the intestines and feces, enabling transmission to susceptible cage-mates.
Conclusions:
- The gallbladder plays a critical role in the dissemination of P. aeruginosa from the bloodstream to feces during bacteremia.
- This pathway promotes the transmission of P. aeruginosa in the studied experimental system.
- Further clinical research is warranted to ascertain the relevance of these findings in human patients.
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