Faculty Collaboration Database

Type III protein secretion is associated with death in lower respiratory and systemic Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections. J Infect Dis 2001 Jun 15;183(12):1767-74

Date

05/24/2001

Pubmed ID

11372029

DOI

10.1086/320737

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-0035877065 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   382 Citations

Abstract

The ability of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to secrete specific toxins using the type III-mediated pathway has been reported. To determine the association of this phenotype with human illness, immunoblot analysis was used to detect expression of type III secretory proteins in P. aeruginosa isolates from respiratory tract or blood cultures of 108 consecutive patients. Relative risk of mortality was 6-fold greater with expression of the type III secretory proteins ExoS, ExoT, ExoU, or PcrV. Phenotype was independently correlated with toxicity in cellular and murine models. Prevalence of this phenotype was significantly higher in acutely infected patients than in chronically infected patients with cystic fibrosis. These results suggest that the type III protein secretion system is integral to increased P. aeruginosa virulence. A positive phenotype is a predictor of poor clinical outcome. In the future, such analyses may help distinguish potentially lethal infection from colonization and help determine appropriate therapy for critically ill patients.

Author List

Roy-Burman A, Savel RH, Racine S, Swanson BL, Revadigar NS, Fujimoto J, Sawa T, Frank DW, Wiener-Kronish JP

Author

Dara W. Frank PhD Professor in the Microbiology and Immunology department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Acute Disease
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Bacterial Proteins
Biomarkers
Child
Child, Preschool
Chronic Disease
Cystic Fibrosis
Female
Humans
Immunoblotting
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Male
Middle Aged
Phenotype
Prevalence
Pseudomonas Infections
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Respiratory Tract Infections