The virB operon is essential for lethality of Brucella microti in the Balb/c murine model of infection.
J Infect Dis
; 203(8): 1129-35, 2011 Apr 15.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-21451001
ABSTRACT
In murine infections, Brucella microti exhibits an atypical and highly pathogenic behavior resulting in a mortality of 82%. In this study, the possible involvement of the virB type IV secretion system, a key virulence factor of Brucella sp., in this lethal phenotype was investigated. As previously described for B. suis, expression of the virB operon of B. microti was induced in acid minimal medium, partially mimicking intracellular environment. Early neutralization of cellular compartments abolished intracellular replication of B. microti, showing that acidity of the Brucella-containing vacuole is an essential trigger. A ΔvirB mutant of B. microti exhibited strong attenuation in murine and human macrophages in vitro. Interestingly, infection with this mutant was not lethal in Balb/c mice and lacked the typical intrasplenic peak at 3 days post-infection, hence demonstrating that lethality of B. microti in murine infection absolutely requires a functional virB operon.
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Asunto principal:
Brucella
/
Brucelosis
Tipo de estudio:
Prognostic_studies
Límite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Infect Dis
Año:
2011
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Francia