Sheehan, Gerard and Tully, Laura and Kavanagh, Kevin (2020) Candida albicans increases the pathogenicity of Staphylococcus aureus during polymicrobial infection of Galleria mellonella larvae. Microbiology, 166 (4). pp. 375-385. ISSN 1465-2080

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Abstract

This study detailed the responses of Galleria mellonella larvae to disseminated infection caused by co-infection with Candida albicans and Staphylococcus aureus . Doses of C. albicans (1×105 larva−1) and S. aureus (1×104 larva−1) were non-lethal in mono-infection but when combined significantly (P<0.05) reduced larval survival at 24, 48 and 72 h relative to larvae receiving S. aureus (2×104 larva−1) alone. Co-infected larvae displayed a significantly higher density of S. aureus larva−1 compared to larvae infected solely with S. aureus . Co-infection resulted in dissemination throughout the host and the appearance of large nodules. Co-infection of larvae with C. albicans and S. aureus (2×104 larva−1) resulted in an increase in the density of circulating haemocytes compared to that in larvae infected with only S. aureus . Proteomic analysis of co-infected larval haemolymph revealed increased abundance of proteins associated with immune responses to bacterial and fungal infection such as cecropin-A (+45.4-fold), recognition proteins [e.g. peptidoglycan-recognition protein LB (+14-fold)] and proteins associated with nodule formation [e.g. Hdd11 (+33.3-fold)]. A range of proteins were also decreased in abundance following co-infection, including apolipophorin (−62.4-fold), alpha-esterase 45 (−7.7-fold) and serine proteinase (−6.2-fold). Co-infection of larvae resulted in enhanced proliferation of S. aureus compared to mono-infection and an immune response showing many similarities to the innate immune response of mammals to infection. The utility of G. mellonella larvae for studying polymicrobial infection is highlighted.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	© 2020 The Authors. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License ( https://creativecommons.org/about/cclicenses/ ). This article was made open access via a Publish and Read agreement between the Microbiology Society and the corresponding author’s institution. Funding: G. S. is the recipient of a Maynooth University doctoral studentship. The Q-exactive mass spectrometer was funded under the SFI Research Infrastructure Call 2012, grant number 12/RI/2346 (3). This publication emanated from research supported in part by a research grant from Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) and is co-funded under the European Regional Development Fund under grant number 12/RC/2275_P2.
Keywords:	Candida albicans; pathogenicity; Staphylococcus aureus; polymicrobial infection; Galleria mellonella larvae;
Academic Unit:	Faculty of Science and Engineering > Biology
Item ID:	13675
Identification Number:	https://doi.org/10.1099/mic.0.000892
Depositing User:	Dr. Kevin Kavanagh
Date Deposited:	26 Nov 2020 16:48
Journal or Publication Title:	Microbiology
Publisher:	Society for General Microbiology
Refereed:	Yes
Funders:	Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), European Regional Development Fund
URI:	Publisher
Use Licence:	This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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