PURPOSE: To analyze age-related changes in susceptibility to experimental Staphylococcus aureus keratitis and purified alpha-toxin in rabbits. METHODS: Intrastromal injection of S. aureus (100 colony-forming units [CFUs]) induced keratitis in young (6-8 weeks) and aged (approximately 30 months) New Zealand White rabbits. Bacteria and polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) per cornea were quantified. Purified alpha-toxin at 1, 10, 25, or 50 hemolytic units (HU) or heat-inactivated alpha-toxin was intrastromally injected into corneas, and pathologic changes were determined by slit lamp examination (SLE) and histopathologic analysis. alpha-Toxin hemolysis assays were performed using erythrocytes from young and aged rabbits. RESULTS: S. aureus keratitis produced significantly higher SLE scores in young rabbits than in aged rabbits at 15, 20, and 25 hours postinfection (PI; P < or = 0.001); aged rabbits essentially recovered from S. aureus keratitis by 7 days PI. At 25 hours PI, numbers of CFUs and PMNs in corneas of young and aged rabbits were equivalent (P > or = 0.6); the bacterial burden in aged rabbits declined by 5 logs per cornea from day 1 to day 7 PI. Intrastromal injection of > or =10 HU alpha-toxin also produced significantly more disease in young than in aged rabbit corneas (P < or = 0.05), whereas 1 HU or heat-inactivated toxin yielded negligible pathologic changes in either group. Hemolysis assays of erythrocytes from young rabbits demonstrated greater susceptibility to alpha-toxin compared with those from aged rabbits. CONCLUSIONS: Corneas and erythrocytes of young rabbits, relative to aged rabbits, are significantly more susceptible to S. aureus keratitis and to alpha-toxin.
PURPOSE: To analyze age-related changes in susceptibility to experimental Staphylococcus aureus keratitis and purified alpha-toxin in rabbits. METHODS: Intrastromal injection of S. aureus (100 colony-forming units [CFUs]) induced keratitis in young (6-8 weeks) and aged (approximately 30 months) New Zealand White rabbits. Bacteria and polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) per cornea were quantified. Purified alpha-toxin at 1, 10, 25, or 50 hemolytic units (HU) or heat-inactivated alpha-toxin was intrastromally injected into corneas, and pathologic changes were determined by slit lamp examination (SLE) and histopathologic analysis. alpha-Toxin hemolysis assays were performed using erythrocytes from young and aged rabbits. RESULTS: S. aureus keratitis produced significantly higher SLE scores in young rabbits than in aged rabbits at 15, 20, and 25 hours postinfection (PI; P < or = 0.001); aged rabbits essentially recovered from S. aureus keratitis by 7 days PI. At 25 hours PI, numbers of CFUs and PMNs in corneas of young and aged rabbits were equivalent (P > or = 0.6); the bacterial burden in aged rabbits declined by 5 logs per cornea from day 1 to day 7 PI. Intrastromal injection of > or =10 HU alpha-toxin also produced significantly more disease in young than in aged rabbit corneas (P < or = 0.05), whereas 1 HU or heat-inactivated toxin yielded negligible pathologic changes in either group. Hemolysis assays of erythrocytes from young rabbits demonstrated greater susceptibility to alpha-toxin compared with those from aged rabbits. CONCLUSIONS: Corneas and erythrocytes of young rabbits, relative to aged rabbits, are significantly more susceptible to S. aureus keratitis and to alpha-toxin.
Authors: Monika Bokori-Brown; Peter G Petrov; Mawya A Khafaji; Muhammad K Mughal; Claire E Naylor; Angela C Shore; Kim M Gooding; Francesco Casanova; Tim J Mitchell; Richard W Titball; C Peter Winlove Journal: J Biol Chem Date: 2016-03-16 Impact factor: 5.157
Authors: Roger Astley; Frederick C Miller; Md Huzzatul Mursalin; Phillip S Coburn; Michelle C Callegan Journal: Toxins (Basel) Date: 2019-06-19 Impact factor: 4.546