A Bacterial Epigenetic Switch in Non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae Modifies Host Immune Response During Otitis Media.

ABSTRACT: Non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) causes multiple diseases of the human airway and is a predominant bacterial pathogen of acute otitis media and otitis media in which treatment fails. NTHi utilizes a system of phase variable epigenetic regulation, termed the phasevarion, to facilitate adaptation and survival within multiple sites of the human host. The NTHi phasevarion influences numerous disease-relevant phenotypes such as biofilm formation, antibiotic resistance, and opsonization. We have previously identified an advantageous selection for a specific phasevarion status, which significantly affects severity and chronicity of experimental otitis media. In this study, we utilized pure cultures of NTHi variants in which modA was either locked ON or locked OFF, and thus

SUBMITTER: Robledo-Avila FH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7644868 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature