Cigarette smoke exposure redirects Staphylococcus aureus to a virulence profile associated with persistent infection.

ABSTRACT: Tobacco smoking represents the leading preventable cause of death worldwide. Smoking is a recognised risk factor for several pathologies and is detrimental to host immune surveillance and defence. However, the impact of smoking on microbial residents of the nasopharyngeal cavity, in contact with cigarette smoke (CS), is lacking. Staphylococcus aureus is a major human pathogen that colonises the human nasopharynx and causes a wide range of infections. We investigated the impact of CS on specific virulence phenotypes important in S aureus pathogenesis. We observed strain-dependent differences following exposure to CS, namely growth inhibition, augmented biofilm formation, increased invasion of, and persistence within, bronchial alveolar epithelial cells. Additionally, we confirm the critical

SUBMITTER: Lacoma A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6658544 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature