Lipoteichoic acid mediates binding of Streptococcus pneumoniae and influenza A virus

Synergy between influenza A virus (IAV) and Streptococcus pneumoniae is a long-recognized and clinically important problem. Recent work has demonstrated that IAV particles can directly bind to the bacterial surface and that bacterial-viral complexes exhibit enhanced bacterial colonization and invasive disease, increased viral environmental survival leading to increased efficacy of airborne transmission, and enhanced vaccine response to both pathogens over simultaneous co-infection without direct interactions. However, the molecule(s) responsible for mediating the direct interaction are yet to be characterized. In this study, we demonstrate that the broadly conserved Gram-positive bacterial cell wall glycan lipoteichoic acid (LTA) is one of the molecules that can mediate this interaction. This interaction between viral particles and bacterial cell-envelope glycans is also demonstrated in interactions between enteric viruses and enteric bacteria, suggesting a conserved mechanism of trans-kingdom interactions. We show that LTA will compete for binding between IAV and S. pneumoniae, that disruption of genes responsible for LTA presentation at the cell surface will reduce viral binding, and that viral neuraminidase can bind LTA. This work adds to the growing body of literature on direct bacterial-viral interactions between human-associated bacteria and pathogenic viruses and can provide novel insights into the lethal synergy of influenza-pneumococcal co-infections.IMPORTANCECo-infection between influenza A virus (IAV) and Streptococcus pneumoniae leads to severe disease. Recently, it was demonstrated that IAV particles can bind to the surface of bacterial cells and that direct interactions will enhance both bacterial and viral pathogenesis as well as immune responses to each pathogen. However, it is unclear what bacterial and viral components are responsible for the interaction. We demonstrate that a carbohydrate component of the bacterial cell wall can bind to IAV particles. This is similar to direct interactions observed between enteric viruses and cell wall components of enteric bacteria. This work adds to the body of knowledge about trans-kingdom interactions between human-associated bacteria and human pathogenic viruses, as well as providing novel insights into the serious clinical problem of influenza-pneumococcal synergy.