Mycobacterium abscessus biofilms have viscoelastic properties which may contribute to their recalcitrance in chronic pulmonary infections.
Sci Rep
; 11(1): 5020, 2021 03 03.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-33658597
ABSTRACT
Mycobacterium abscessus is emerging as a cause of recalcitrant chronic pulmonary infections, particularly in people with cystic fibrosis (CF). Biofilm formation has been implicated in the pathology of this organism, however the role of biofilm formation in infection is unclear. Two colony-variants of M. abscessus are routinely isolated from CF samples, smooth (MaSm) and rough (MaRg). These two variants display distinct colony morphologies due to the presence (MaSm) or absence (MaRg) of cell wall glycopeptidolipids (GPLs). We hypothesized that MaSm and MaRg variant biofilms might have different mechanical properties. To test this hypothesis, we performed uniaxial mechanical indentation, and shear rheometry on MaSm and MaRg colony-biofilms. We identified that MaRg biofilms were significantly stiffer than MaSm under a normal force, while MaSm biofilms were more pliant compared to MaRg, under both normal and shear forces. Furthermore, using theoretical indices of mucociliary and cough clearance, we identified that M. abscessus biofilms may be more resistant to mechanical forms of clearance from the lung, compared to another common pulmonary pathogen, Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Thus, the mechanical properties of M. abscessus biofilms may contribute to the persistent nature of pulmonary infections caused by this organism.
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Fenómenos Biomecánicos
/
Pared Celular
/
Biopelículas
/
Mycobacterium abscessus
Límite:
Humans
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Sci Rep
Año:
2021
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Estados Unidos