Infection of Monocytes From Tuberculosis Patients With Two Virulent Clinical Isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Induces Alterations in Myeloid Effector Functions.

Monocytes play a critical role during infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). They are recruited to the lung, where they participate in the control of infection during active tuberculosis (TB). Alternatively, inflammatory monocytes may participate in inflammation or serve as niches for Mtb infection. Monocytes response to infection may vary depending on the particularities of the clinical isolate of Mtb from which they are infected. In this pilot study, we have examined the baseline mRNA profiles of circulating human monocytes from patients with active TB (MoTB) compared with monocytes from healthy individuals (MoCT). Circulating MoTB displayed a pro-inflammatory transcriptome characterized by increased gene expression of genes associated with cytokines, monocytopoiesis, and down-regulation of MHC class II gene expression. In response to in vitro infection with two clinical isolates of the LAM family of Mtb (UT127 and UT205), MoTB displayed an attenuated inflammatory mRNA profile associated with down-regulation the TREM1 signaling pathway. Furthermore, the gene expression signature induced by Mtb UT205 clinical strain was characterized by the enrichment of genes in pathways and biological processes mainly associated with a signature of IFN-inducible genes and the inhibition of cell death mechanisms compared to MoTB-127, which could favor the establishment and survival of Mtb within the monocytes. These results suggest that circulating MoTB have an altered transcriptome that upon infection with Mtb may help to maintain chronic inflammation and infection. Moreover, this functional abnormality of monocytes may also depend on potential differences in virulence of circulating clinical strains of Mtb.

Human Alveolar and Splenic Macrophage Populations Display a Distinct Transcriptomic Response to Infection With Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infects alveolar macrophages (AMs), causing pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB), the most common form of the disease. Less frequently, Mtb is disseminated to many other organs and tissues, resulting in different extrapulmonary forms of TB. Nevertheless, very few studies have addressed the global mRNA response of human AMs, particularly from humans with the active form of the disease. Strikingly, almost no studies have addressed the response of human extrapulmonary macrophages to Mtb infection. In this pilot study, using microarray technology, we examined the transcriptomic ex vivo response of AMs from PTB patients (AMTBs) and AMs from control subjects (AMCTs) infected with two clinical isolates of Mtb. Furthermore, we also studied the infection response of human splenic macrophages (SMs) to Mtb isolates, as a model for extrapulmonary infection, and compared the transcriptomic response between AMs and SMs. Our results showed a striking difference in global mRNA profiles in response to infection between AMs and SMs, implicating a tissue-specific macrophage response to Mtb.

[Development and validation of a multiplex polymerase chain reaction for molecular identification of Salmonella enterica serogroups B, C2, D and E]. / Desarrollo y validación de una reacción en cadena de la polimerasa multiple para la identificación de los serogrupos B, C2, D y E de Salmonella enterica.

INTRODUCTION: The scheme Kauffman-White (KW) for serotyping of Salmonella recognizes 46 O antigens, and 119 H antigens, thereby permitting the characterization of 2541 serotypes. The serotyping is a useful epidemiological tool in identifying circulating serotypes and to characterize outbreaks. However, the method presents technical limitations, difficulty in interpretation of results and high costs. OBJECTIVE: A multiplex polymerase chain reaction test (M-PCR) was developed as an alternative method for the identification of serogroups B, C2, D, and E of Salmonella enterica. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The M-PCR detected Salmonella genes rfbJ of serogroups B and C2 and wzx of serogroups D and E. To standardize the M-PCR, reference strains of Salmonella serogroups were compared. Amplification of invA gender-specific gene of Salmonella was included as internal control of amplification. To validate the test, a blind study was conducted to identify by M-PCR 400 isolates that had been previously characterized by serology. RESULTS: The M-PCR detected Salmonella serogroups with reproducible results (Kappa index = 0.95). The sensitivity of the test was between 98% to 100% and specificity between 96% to 100%. CONCLUSIONS: The polymorphisms in the Salmonella genes rfbJ and wzx permitted the development of a method for molecular typing of Salmonella serogroups that was sensitive, specific and reproducible.

Alveolar macrophages from tuberculosis patients display an altered inflammatory gene expression profile.

Alveolar macrophages (AMs) are major targets of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection, critical during the progression of active tuberculosis (TB). The complex immunopathology of TB generates diverse microenvironments in the lung, which shape immune responses by AMs. In the current study, we perform whole genome microarray transcriptional profiling on RNA isolated from AMs from TB patients (AMsTB) compared to AMs from control subjects (AMsCT) using bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL). Our hypothesis was that systemic effects on the local lung microenvironment during TB affect the transcriptional response of AMsTB. We found a unique gene expression profile of 51 genes, including up-regulated CHIT1, CHI3L1, CCL5, CCL22, CCL8, CXCL9, MMP9, MMP7 and MMP12, associated with a robust pro-inflammatory response, cell recruitment and tissue damage, and genes of the cyclin family (CCND1, CCND2, and CCNA1) associated with cell proliferation. These expression profiles may account for the inflammatory condition in the lungs of TB patients. CXCL5, IL1B, CAMP, and TGFB1 were down-regulated, suggesting an altered control of Mtb infection. Also, MARCO and COLEC12, affecting phagocytosis, and CES1, associated with an increase in free cholesterol, were down-regulated. The observed changes in mRNA expression profiles may partially account for the inability of AMsTB to effectively control Mtb infection, suggesting that a balanced control of pro- and anti-inflammatory immune responses is crucial for infection control.

Development and evaluation of a multiplex polymerase chain reaction assay to identify Salmonella serogroups and serotypes.

To improve limitations of Salmonella serotyping, 2 multiplex polymerase chain reaction (M-PCR) were developed using a strategy that identifies first the genes encoding serogroups (rfbJ, wzx). According to the serogroup determined, a second M-PCR identifies serotype (fliC, fljB, wcdB, and sdf-I sequence). Standardization and evaluation of both M-PCRs were carried out.

Desarrollo y validación de una reacción en cadena de la polimerasa múltiple para la identificación de los serogrupos B, C2, D y E de Salmonella enterica / Development and validation of a multiplex polymerase chain reaction for molecular identification of Salmonella enterica serogroups B, C2, D and E

Introducción. El esquema Kaufmann-White para la serotipificación de Salmonella, reconoce 46 antígenos O y 119 antígenos H, los cuales han permitido la caracterización de 2.541 serovares. La serotipificación es una herramienta epidemiológica útil en la identificación de serovares circulantes y estudio de brotes, sin embargo, presenta limitaciones técnicas, de interpretación de resultados y alto costo. Objetivo. Desarrollar una prueba de reacción en cadena de la polimerasa múltiple (PCR-M) como alternativa para identificar los serogrupos B, C2, D y E de Salmonella enterica. Materiales y métodos. Se desarrolló una PCR-M para detectar los genes rfbJ de los serogrupos B y C2 y wzx de los serogrupos D y E. Para estandarizar la PCR-M se probaron cepas de referencia de Salmonella pertenecientes a los serogrupos de estudio. Se incluyó el gen invA específico del género Salmonella como control interno de amplificación. La técnica fue validada con un estudio ciego que incluyó 400 aislamientos de Salmonella previamente serotipificados. Resultados. La PCR-M permitió identificar los serogrupos de Salmonella con resultados reproducibles (índice kappa=0,95). La sensibilidad de la prueba estuvo entre 98% y 100% y la especificidad entre 96% y 100%. Conclusiones. El polimorfismo de los genes rfbJ y wzx permitió desarrollar un método de tipificación molecular sensible, específico y reproducible, que podría servir de apoyo a la serotipificación para identificar serogrupos de Salmonella.

Introduction. The scheme Kauffman-White (KW) for serotyping of Salmonella recognizes 46 O antigens, and 119 H antigens, thereby permitting the characterization of 2,541 serotypes. The serotyping is a useful epidemiological tool in identifying circulating serotypes and to characterize outbreaks. However, the method presents technical limitations, difficulty in interpretation of results and high costs. Objective. A multiplex polymerase chain reaction test (M-PCR) was developed as an alternative method for the identification of serogroups B, C2, D, and E of Salmonella enterica. Materials and methods. The M-PCR detected Salmonella genes rfbJ of serogroups B and C2 and wzx of serogroups D and E. To standardize the M-PCR, reference strains of Salmonella serogroups were compared. Amplification of invA gender-specific gene of Salmonella was included as internal control of amplification. To validate the test, a blind study was conducted to identify by M-PCR 400 isolates that had been previously characterized by serology. Results. The M-PCR detected Salmonella serogroups with reproducible results (Kappa index=0.95). The sensitivity of the test was between 98% to 100% and specificity between 96% to 100%. Conclusions. The polymorphisms in the Salmonella genes rfbJ and wzx permitted the development of a method for molecular typing of Salmonella serogroups that was sensitive, specific and reproducible.