[Selection of virulent mutants of Streptococcus pneumoniae. Utilization of a murine model of septicemia].
Genetic construction of virulence deficient mutant is a strategy to analyse virulence genes of Streptococcus pneumoniae and was used to virulence factors as capsule, pneumolysin, autolysin and PspA. We perform a model allowing the in vivo positive selection of virulent S. pneumoniae mutants. Mice which are the most susceptible animals to pneumococcal infection, offer the best model for screening virulent S. pneumoniae. Indeed, after intraperitoneal injection of bacterial mix which was composed to a lot of avirulent bacteria (6 log10 CFU per mouse) (V1015 strain, DL50 = 7.05) and few virulent pneumococci (1 to 2 log10 CFU per mouse) (P4241 strain, DL50 < 1), mice cleared all avirulent bacteria but not virulent pneumococci. Thus, mice dead in 3 to 4 days with septicaemia and positive hemoculture contained only virulent strain. This model was validated by in vivo selection of a virulent mutant (V1042, DL50 = 4.1) which was obtained after transformation of avirulent strain V1015 with the genomic fragment of virulent strain P4241. Our model of screening was the only one allowing detection of virulent S. pneumoniae mutants. This new genetic strategy which consisted in gene addition and used mouse as selection agent, could be used to discover new virulence genes required to in vivo bacterial development.
Amory-Rivier
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Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, CRI n(o) 9802, Bâtiment U13, Hôpital Bichat-Claude Bernard, Paris, France.
Rieux
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V
Azoulay-Dupuis
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E
Carbon
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Trombe
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MC
D000818:Animals; D016470:Bacteremia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D007928:Lethal Dose 50; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D016296:Mutagenesis; D011008:Pneumococcal Infections / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D014774:Virulence / Q000235:genetics
Sélection de mutants virulents de Streptococcus pneumoniae. Utilisation d'un modèle murin de septicémie.