Medical Microbiology and Immunology最新文献

Short- and long-term impact of aseptic bathing strategies on the skin microbiome in ICU patients. 无菌洗浴策略对ICU患者皮肤微生物组的短期和长期影响。

IF 3 3区医学

Medical Microbiology and Immunology Pub Date : 2025-07-22 DOI: 10.1007/s00430-025-00843-1

Tilman E Klassert, Cristina Zubiria-Barrera, Luisa A Denkel, Mercedes Lopez, Robert Neubert, Amelya Keles Slevogt, Frank Bloos, P Christian Schulze, Jörg Epstude, Petra Gastmeier, Christine Geffers, Hortense Slevogt

{"title":"Short- and long-term impact of aseptic bathing strategies on the skin microbiome in ICU patients.","authors":"Tilman E Klassert, Cristina Zubiria-Barrera, Luisa A Denkel, Mercedes Lopez, Robert Neubert, Amelya Keles Slevogt, Frank Bloos, P Christian Schulze, Jörg Epstude, Petra Gastmeier, Christine Geffers, Hortense Slevogt","doi":"10.1007/s00430-025-00843-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00430-025-00843-1","url":null,"abstract":"Bathing strategies with antiseptic agents, such as Chlorhexidine and Octenidine, have been widely adopted to mitigate infection risks in intensive care units (ICU). However, concerns exist regarding their long-term effects on skin microbiome structures and potential unintended consequences, including antibiotic cross-resistance. This longitudinal study characterized the compositional changes of the skin microbiome of ICU patients upon these two antiseptic bathing strategies when compared to standard water and soap bathing. Samples were collected in a three-armed cluster randomized decolonization trial (registration number DRKS00010475). Skin swabs from 5 different sites and three time points were analyzed by culture-based methods, 16S rRNA-gene amplicon sequencing and multiplex Taq-Man assays for detection of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARG). Our results show that Chlorhexidine bathing led to a sustained reduction of the bacterial biomass on different skin sites, as measured by both molecular and culture-based methods. Thereby, the microbial structures remained largely unaltered both in their diversity and their taxonomic composition. However, the loss of microbiome site-specificity observed on the skin of ICU patients remained unchanged independently from the bathing strategy applied and persisted even after discharge. None of the antiseptic bathing strategies led to an increase or accumulation of antibiotic-resistance determinants on any of the skin sites investigated in this study. Thus, this study suggests that daily patient bathing with 2% Chlorhexidine impregnated cloths or 0.08% Octenidine wash mitts does not impact skin microbiome structures and antibiotic resistance gene accumulation in ICU patients when compared to non-antiseptic water and soap bathing routine.","PeriodicalId":18369,"journal":{"name":"Medical Microbiology and Immunology","volume":"214 1","pages":"34"},"PeriodicalIF":3.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12283771/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144690704","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Fighting biofilm: bacteriophages eliminate biofilm formed by multidrug-resistant Enterobacter hormaechei on urological catheters. 对抗生物膜：噬菌体消除泌尿导管上由多重耐药的贺氏肠杆菌形成的生物膜。

IF 5.5 3区医学

Medical Microbiology and Immunology Pub Date : 2025-07-03 DOI: 10.1007/s00430-025-00844-0

Martyna Cieślik, Michał Wójcicki, Paweł Migdał, Ilona Grygiel, Olaf Bajrak, Filip Orwat, Andrzej Górski, Ewa Jończyk-Matysiak

{"title":"Fighting biofilm: bacteriophages eliminate biofilm formed by multidrug-resistant Enterobacter hormaechei on urological catheters.","authors":"Martyna Cieślik, Michał Wójcicki, Paweł Migdał, Ilona Grygiel, Olaf Bajrak, Filip Orwat, Andrzej Górski, Ewa Jończyk-Matysiak","doi":"10.1007/s00430-025-00844-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00430-025-00844-0","url":null,"abstract":"The Enterobacter cloacae complex (ECC) is a prevalent nosocomial pathogen associated with various human infections, which currently comprises several species, including Enterobacter cloacae and Enterobacter hormaechei. Strains capable of producing biofilm on various biotic and abiotic surfaces pose a particular threat. Therefore, we focused on three E. hormaechei strains in whose genomes the presence of the biofilm-related genes: fimA, csgA, csgD, and sdiA was confirmed. Kinetic of biofilm formation by these strains on urological catheters depended on the catheter material (silicon or latex), temperature (24 °C or 37 °C) and incubation time. The ability of phages to disrupt biofilm formation was assessed and found to be the most effective when phages were applied at an early stages of this process. Moreover, destruction of existing biofilm by bacteriophages and/or silver or copper nanoparticles was strain-dependent. Incubation with Enterobacter-specific bacteriophages enabled, in some cases, almost complete eradication of three-day biofilms attached to urological catheters. In genomes of two Enterobacter-specific bacteriophages the presence of regions encoding proteins with lytic activity were identified (6 regions in Entb_43 phage and 4 regions in Entb_45 phage genomes, respectively). These results highlight the threat of biofilm-related infections, but also indicate the multifaceted anti-biofilm activity of bacteriophages, which should be considered for useful in clinical practice.","PeriodicalId":18369,"journal":{"name":"Medical Microbiology and Immunology","volume":"214 1","pages":"33"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12226686/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144553944","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Synergistic activity of fosfomycin and flucloxacillin against methicillin-susceptible and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: in vitro and in vivo assessment. 磷霉素和氟氯西林对甲氧西林敏感和耐甲氧西林金黄色葡萄球菌的协同作用：体外和体内评估

IF 5.5 3区医学

Medical Microbiology and Immunology Pub Date : 2025-06-21 DOI: 10.1007/s00430-025-00841-3

Alina Nussbaumer-Pröll, Markus Obermüller, Matthias Weiss-Tessbach, Sabine Eberl, Markus Zeitlinger, Bernd Matiba, Christian Mayer, Manuel Kussmann

{"title":"Synergistic activity of fosfomycin and flucloxacillin against methicillin-susceptible and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: in vitro and in vivo assessment.","authors":"Alina Nussbaumer-Pröll, Markus Obermüller, Matthias Weiss-Tessbach, Sabine Eberl, Markus Zeitlinger, Bernd Matiba, Christian Mayer, Manuel Kussmann","doi":"10.1007/s00430-025-00841-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00430-025-00841-3","url":null,"abstract":"Fosfomycin (FOF) exhibits broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, and is mainly used in combination therapy. Previous in vitro studies have shown synergistic effects of FOF in combination with flucloxacillin (FLX) against Staphylococcus aureus isolates. This study aims to validate these findings in vitro and investigate the synergistic effect in an in vivo Galleria mellonella model. Five methicillin- and FOF-susceptible isolates (ATCC-29213 & 4 clinical isolates); one methicillin- and FOF-resistant strain (DSMZ-23622) and four methicillin-resistant and FOF-susceptible strains (ATCC-33592 & 3 clinical isolates) were tested with checkerboard assays to assess synergism. Time-kill curves were generated for two MSSA (ATCC 29213 and 231/20) and two MRSA strains (ATCC 33592 and DSMZ 23622). The in vivo efficacy of FOF and/or FLX was evaluated by a G. mellonella survival assay and by determining the total bacterial count (TBC) in hemolymph. Checkerboard assays revealed additive or indifferent effects, with some indicating synergism. Time-kill curves demonstrated higher reduction in TBC with combination therapy compared to monotherapy. In vivo, the combination therapy showed the greatest reduction of TBC in larval haemolymph compared to monotherapy, and the survival assay showed highly synergistic activity of FLX plus FOF against MRSA (ATCC-33592) and MSSA (ATCC 6538), resulting in an average reduction in mortality of 48 and 40%, respectively, compared to monotherapies. Therefore, FOF plus FLX could be an alternative for the calculated or definitive treatment of S. aureus infections without antimicrobial susceptibility results or even for salvage therapy of MRSA infections after treatment failure or necessary discontinuation of classical MRSA drugs.","PeriodicalId":18369,"journal":{"name":"Medical Microbiology and Immunology","volume":"214 1","pages":"32"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2025-06-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12182452/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144340187","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Cytokine-mediated inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus adherence and invasion into nonphagocytic cells. 细胞因子介导的金黄色葡萄球菌粘附和侵袭非吞噬细胞的抑制。

IF 5.5 3区医学

Medical Microbiology and Immunology Pub Date : 2025-06-20 DOI: 10.1007/s00430-025-00840-4

Arif Luqman, Knut Ohlsen

引用次数: 0

Severe enterovirus A71 pathogenesis and immune responses in human nucleolin transgenic mice. 严重肠病毒A71在人核蛋白转基因小鼠中的发病机制和免疫应答。

IF 5.5 3区医学

Medical Microbiology and Immunology Pub Date : 2025-06-16 DOI: 10.1007/s00430-025-00842-2

Nien-En Hsiao, Ya-Fang Wang, Yi-Chen Lin, Wei-Ting Chou, Li-Jin Hsu, Shih-Min Wang, Jen-Ren Wang, Ming-Derg Lai, Shun-Hua Chen, Chuan-Fa Chang

{"title":"Severe enterovirus A71 pathogenesis and immune responses in human nucleolin transgenic mice.","authors":"Nien-En Hsiao, Ya-Fang Wang, Yi-Chen Lin, Wei-Ting Chou, Li-Jin Hsu, Shih-Min Wang, Jen-Ren Wang, Ming-Derg Lai, Shun-Hua Chen, Chuan-Fa Chang","doi":"10.1007/s00430-025-00842-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00430-025-00842-2","url":null,"abstract":"Enterovirus A71 (EV-A71) infection is known to cause hand-foot-mouth disease, which may develop severe symptoms such as encephalitis, herpangina, and paralysis, leading to pulmonary edema and even death in children under five years old. Existing animal models for EV-A71 pathogenesis have limitations, necessitating novel models to study human-relevant disease mechanisms. Using glycoproteomic profiling to identify EV-A71-interacting proteins, we previously discovered human nucleolin (hNCL) as an attachment molecule that enhances viral binding and infection in vitro. Here, we developed human nucleolin transgenic (hNCL-Tg) mice to investigate EV-A71 pathogenesis in vivo. Compared to wild-type (WT) mice, EV-A71-infected hNCL-Tg mice exhibited higher clinical scores, progressive limb paralysis, and increased mortality. Six days post-infection, hNCL-Tg mice showed elevated viral loads in the spinal cord and skeletal muscle, with pronounced EV-A71 VP1 expression in these tissues and the brainstem. Histopathology revealed severe skeletal muscle damage and significant pulmonary edema, characterized by lung congestion, hemorrhage, and erythrocyte infiltration into alveoli. Infected hNCL-Tg mice also displayed elevated levels of encephalitis- and pulmonary edema-associated proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-13). These findings establish the hNCL-Tg mouse as a robust model for studying EV-A71 pathogenesis and evaluating preclinical therapeutics.","PeriodicalId":18369,"journal":{"name":"Medical Microbiology and Immunology","volume":"214 1","pages":"30"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2025-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12170781/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144302480","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Long-lasting IgM and declining IgG levels: a serologic 5-year follow-up study in healthy blood donors infected with hepatitis E virus. 长期IgM和IgG水平下降：感染戊型肝炎病毒的健康献血者的5年血清学随访研究

IF 5.5 3区医学

Medical Microbiology and Immunology Pub Date : 2025-06-04 DOI: 10.1007/s00430-025-00838-y

Ricarda Plümers, Jens Dreier, Cornelius Knabbe, Tanja Vollmer

{"title":"Long-lasting IgM and declining IgG levels: a serologic 5-year follow-up study in healthy blood donors infected with hepatitis E virus.","authors":"Ricarda Plümers, Jens Dreier, Cornelius Knabbe, Tanja Vollmer","doi":"10.1007/s00430-025-00838-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00430-025-00838-y","url":null,"abstract":"Hepatitis E virus (HEV) has attracted increasing attention in transfusion medicine in recent years. Mandatory testing regimes in Europe have resulted in not only ensuring the safety of blood products, but also providing information on the spread and immunology of HEV infections. We tracked a cohort of 497 donors identified as HEV RNA-positive during blood donation. Several follow-up samples were collected and serologically analyzed for 370 of them, up to five years after the index donation. In addition to the expected increase in immunoglobulins M (IgM) and G (IgG) titers at the beginning and the decrease over the years, we observed a proportion of 7.3% with positive anti-HEV IgM (long-term IgM-positive) and 9.1% with negative anti-HEV IgG (seroreversion) in five-year follow-ups, determined by serological tests from three different manufacturers. Both phenomena have an impact on the assessment of the correlation between incidence and seroprevalence. They are dependent on the sensitivity and specificity of serologic assays used and have a sex bias, which indicates a stronger, longer-lasting humoral immune response in women. These data offer new insights into the long-term development of immunity to HEV and thus complement short-term epidemiological data on the incidence and seroprevalence that have been obtained so far.","PeriodicalId":18369,"journal":{"name":"Medical Microbiology and Immunology","volume":"214 1","pages":"29"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2025-06-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12137421/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144216275","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Adaptation and validation of a gastrointestinal panel to detect diarrheal virus pathogens on a high-throughput qPCR system. 在高通量qPCR系统上检测腹泻病毒病原体的胃肠道面板的适应性和验证。

IF 5.5 3区医学

Medical Microbiology and Immunology Pub Date : 2025-06-03 DOI: 10.1007/s00430-025-00837-z

Katja Giersch, Dominik Nörz, Moritz Grunwald, Susanne Pfefferle, Lisa Sophie Pflüger, Nicole Fischer, Martin Aepfelbacher, Marc Lütgehetmann

{"title":"Adaptation and validation of a gastrointestinal panel to detect diarrheal virus pathogens on a high-throughput qPCR system.","authors":"Katja Giersch, Dominik Nörz, Moritz Grunwald, Susanne Pfefferle, Lisa Sophie Pflüger, Nicole Fischer, Martin Aepfelbacher, Marc Lütgehetmann","doi":"10.1007/s00430-025-00837-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00430-025-00837-z","url":null,"abstract":"With around 2 billion cases each year, infectious gastroenteritis remains a worldwide health problem. A major cause of acute gastroenteritis is infection with enteric viruses, which often leads to hospitalization in children and immunocompromised people. We adapted and validated a gastrointestinal qPCR panel, which simultaneously detects the most common enteric viruses: Norovirus GI and GII, Rotavirus, Adenovirus, Sapovirus, Astrovirus and Enterovirus in stool samples on a fully automated, high-throughput system (Roche cobas5800/6800/8800). Limits of detection (LOD), linear range and precision were determined using dilutions of clinical stool samples, which were quantified by digital droplet PCR. Specificity and sensitivity were evaluated using clinical stool samples from patients with diarrhoea and results were compared with commercial CE-IVD qPCR assays. LODs were below 100 for all targets except for Norovirus GI (3,180 copies/ml), Norovirus GII (299 copies/ml) and Rotavirus (851 copies/ml). The assay showed excellent linearity over 5-6 log steps for all pathogens (r2: 0.992-0.998). For inclusivity External Quality Assessment samples were correctly identified, and no false positives occurred in exclusivity panels containing 26 bacterial isolates and 12 clinical virus samples. Specificity and sensitivity determined by using 243 patient samples ranged between 98.2 and 100.0% and 85.7-100.0%, respectively. In this study we validated a lab-developed syndromic qPCR assay that reliably detects the seven most common enteric viruses in clinical stool samples. Our assay provides a fast, fully automated and easily scalable high-throughput solution for gastrointestinal routine virus testing and screening in high-risk patient groups and outbreaks.","PeriodicalId":18369,"journal":{"name":"Medical Microbiology and Immunology","volume":"214 1","pages":"28"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2025-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12134015/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144208924","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Thalassemia traits may modulate protective mir-155 levels in dengue infection. 地中海贫血特征可能调节登革热感染中的保护性mir-155水平。

IF 5.5 3区医学

Medical Microbiology and Immunology Pub Date : 2025-05-29 DOI: 10.1007/s00430-025-00839-x

Konstantinos I Papadopoulos, Alexandra Papadopoulou, Tar-Choon Aw

引用次数: 0

Targeting the STAT3/ACLY axis attenuates pulmonary inflammation but delays Mycoplasma pneumoniae clearance via citrate metabolism. 靶向STAT3/ACLY轴可减轻肺部炎症，但通过柠檬酸代谢延迟肺炎支原体清除。

IF 5.5 3区医学

Medical Microbiology and Immunology Pub Date : 2025-05-28 DOI: 10.1007/s00430-025-00836-0

Yan Yang, Xinchao Yi, Chang Liu, Qianrui Zeng, Xinru Li, Haodang Luo, Peiyi Yan, Shuilian Gu, Chun Li, Lihua Xiao, Haiying Wu, Yumeng Li, Xiaoxing You

{"title":"Targeting the STAT3/ACLY axis attenuates pulmonary inflammation but delays Mycoplasma pneumoniae clearance via citrate metabolism.","authors":"Yan Yang, Xinchao Yi, Chang Liu, Qianrui Zeng, Xinru Li, Haodang Luo, Peiyi Yan, Shuilian Gu, Chun Li, Lihua Xiao, Haiying Wu, Yumeng Li, Xiaoxing You","doi":"10.1007/s00430-025-00836-0","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00430-025-00836-0","url":null,"abstract":"Airway epithelial cells play a pivotal role in the early host response to Mycoplasma pneumoniae colonization. Our previous study has revealed that M. pneumoniae infection induces metabolic reprogramming in bronchial epithelial cells. However, the mechanisms underlying these metabolic shifts and their contribution to the pathogenesis of pneumonia remain unclear. Herein, we demonstrate that M. pneumoniae infection activates signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), which drives citrate accumulation in airway epithelial cells. Citrate is metabolized by adenosine triphosphate-citrate lyase (ACLY) into acetyl coenzyme A, which is further converted to malonyl coenzyme A, promoting post-translational modifications such as histone acetylation and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase malonylation (GAPDH). In vivo, pharmacological inhibition of STAT3 or ACLY attenuated pulmonary inflammation and pro-inflammatory cytokine expression yet paradoxically delayed pathogen clearance, as evidenced by increased colonyforming units in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and lung tissue. These findings demonstrate that targeting the STAT3/ACLY axis exerts antiinflammatory potential without direct antibacterial activity. Our work highlights the dual regulatory roles of citrate metabolism in inflammation and pathogen control and suggests that combined use of STAT3/ACLY inhibitors with conventional antibiotics may be necessary to achieve both immunomodulation and effective bacterial eradication.","PeriodicalId":18369,"journal":{"name":"Medical Microbiology and Immunology","volume":"214 1","pages":"26"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144160081","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin a induces regulatory T cells via TNF-α-TNFR2 signaling. 链球菌热原外毒素a通过TNF-α-TNFR2信号传导诱导调节性T细胞。

IF 5.5 3区医学

Medical Microbiology and Immunology Pub Date : 2025-05-22 DOI: 10.1007/s00430-025-00835-1

Chun-Hao Lu, Jason Ma, Ming-Chieh Lin, Cheng-Jang Wu, Chieh-Ying Kuo, Chuan Chiang-Ni, Ming-Ling Kuo

{"title":"Streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin a induces regulatory T cells via TNF-α-TNFR2 signaling.","authors":"Chun-Hao Lu, Jason Ma, Ming-Chieh Lin, Cheng-Jang Wu, Chieh-Ying Kuo, Chuan Chiang-Ni, Ming-Ling Kuo","doi":"10.1007/s00430-025-00835-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s00430-025-00835-1","url":null,"abstract":"Bacterial superantigens are potent immune activators that trigger T cell proliferation and intensive release of cytokines, leading to toxic shock syndrome. Also, they impair host immune responses, increasing bacterial carriage and transmission. Several studies proposed that superantigens can induce regulatory T (Treg) cells, which may suppress immune responses against bacterial infection. However, the mechanism of Treg cell induction by superantigens is still elusive. We here demonstrated that streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin A (SPEA) promoted human CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ T cell induction in a dose- and time-dependent manner and the induction required antigen-presenting cells (APCs). SPEA-induced CD4+CD25+ T cells could suppress allogeneic T cell proliferation and IL-2 secretion. Flow cytometric analyses demonstrated high expression of TNFR2 on SPEA-induced CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ T cells. Blocking the interaction between TNF-⍺ and TNFR2 reduced SPEA-induced CD25+Foxp3+ Treg cells. Our present study suggests a mechanism that the TNF-⍺ and TNFR2 axis is required for the induction of human CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ Treg cells by SPEA, which implicates a potential strategy to enhance the clearance of Group A streptococcus infection through reducing Treg cell induction by the inhibition of TNFR2 signaling.","PeriodicalId":18369,"journal":{"name":"Medical Microbiology and Immunology","volume":"214 1","pages":"25"},"PeriodicalIF":5.5,"publicationDate":"2025-05-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144120108","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0