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Oral infectivity and bacterial interactions with mononuclear phagocytes
C L Wells1, B A Feltis, D F Hanson
1Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55455.
Journal of Medical Microbiology
|May 1, 1993
Summary
Oral infectivity of bacterial strains did not consistently correlate with their susceptibility to or survival within mononuclear phagocytes. This study investigated bacterial ingestion and intracellular survival mechanisms in host immune cells.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Immunology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Bacterial oral infectivity is a critical factor in pathogenesis.
- Understanding host-pathogen interactions, specifically phagocytosis, is key to explaining infectivity.
- Mononuclear phagocytes play a vital role in the innate immune response to bacterial invasion.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between the oral infectivity of bacterial strains and their interaction with mononuclear phagocytes.
- To assess bacterial susceptibility to phagocytic uptake and intracellular survival.
Main Methods:
- Ten bacterial strains with known oral infectivity were tested.
- Phagocytic uptake was quantified by measuring the bacteria-to-phagocyte ratio after in vivo ingestion.
- Intracellular survival was assessed during a 2-hour in vitro incubation period.
Main Results:
- Listeria monocytogenes strains showed high susceptibility to phagocytic uptake.
- Enterococcus faecalis and two Listeria strains exhibited the best intracellular survival.
- Salmonella typhimurium displayed intermediate intracellular survival, outperforming Escherichia coli strains.
Conclusions:
- Oral infectivity in bacteria is not directly correlated with their susceptibility to phagocytosis.
- Bacterial ability to survive within mononuclear phagocytes does not consistently predict oral infectivity.
- Further research is needed to elucidate the complex mechanisms underlying bacterial oral infectivity.