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Porcine Monocyte DNA Traps Formed during Infection with Pathogenic Clostridioides difficile Strains
Jade Lawrence1, Paul Barrow2, Neil Foster3
1School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Nottingham LE12 5RD, UK.
Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland)
|March 27, 2024
Summary
Porcine monocytes trap Clostridioides difficile bacteria using extracellular DNA traps, a process called etosis. This unique immune response differs from typical bacterial infections, offering insights into C. difficile pathogenesis.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Microbiology
- Veterinary Medicine
Background:
- Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) is a significant enteric pathogen causing infections in humans and animals.
- Neonatal pigs serve as a valuable model for studying human C. difficile infections.
- Previous research on C. difficile immunity primarily focused on neutrophils and cytokines.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the immune response of porcine monocytes to C. difficile infection.
- To compare the response of porcine monocytes to C. difficile with their response to other bacterial infections.
- To elucidate the mechanisms by which porcine monocytes interact with C. difficile.
Main Methods:
- Infection of porcine monocytes with C. difficile strains CD630 and R20291.
- Assessment of oxidative burst and nitrite ion production.
- Analysis of intracellular bacterial survival dynamics.
- Microscopic examination of monocyte-bacteria interaction and DNA trap formation.
Main Results:
- Porcine monocytes showed a lack of oxidative burst and nitrite production upon C. difficile infection.
- Intracellular survival of C. difficile strains CD630 and R20291 within monocytes was similar.
- Porcine monocytes effectively entrapped C. difficile using extracellular DNA traps, a process resembling etosis.
- DNA depletion was observed in monocyte nuclei, with extracellular DNA associated with the cell membrane.
Conclusions:
- Porcine monocytes exhibit a distinct immune response to C. difficile, characterized by etosis rather than oxidative burst or nitrite production.
- Extracellular DNA traps play a crucial role in the entrapment of C. difficile by porcine monocytes.
- This study highlights the neonatal pig model for understanding C. difficile pathogenesis and host-pathogen interactions.
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