title: Phenotypic characterization of an international Pseudomonas aeruginosa reference panel: strains of cystic fibrosis (CF) origin show less in vivo virulence than non-CF strains.
abstract: Pseudomonas aeruginosa causes chronic lung infections in people with cystic fibrosis (CF) and acute opportunistic infections in people without CF. Forty-two P. aeruginosa strains from a range of clinical and environmental sources were collated into a single reference strain panel to harmonise research on this diverse opportunistic pathogen. To facilitate further harmonized and comparable research on P. aeruginosa, we characterized the panel strains for growth rates, motility, virulence in the Galleria mellonella infection model, pyocyanin and alginate production, mucoid phenotype, LPS pattern, biofilm formation, urease activity, and antimicrobial and phage susceptibilities. Phenotypic diversity across the P. aeruginosa panel was apparent for all phenotypes examined, agreeing with the marked variability seen in this species. However, except for growth rate, the phenotypic diversity among strains from CF versus non-CF sources was comparable. CF strains were less virulent in the G. mellonella model than non-CF strains (P = 0.037). Transmissible CF strains generally lacked O-antigen, produced less pyocyanin and had low virulence in G. mellonella. Furthermore, in the three sets of sequential CF strains, virulence, O-antigen expression and pyocyanin production were higher in the earlier isolate compared to the isolate obtained later in infection. Overall, this full phenotypic characterization of the defined panel of P. aeruginosa strains increases our understanding of the virulence and pathogenesis of P. aeruginosa and may provide a valuable resource for the testing of novel therapies against this problematic pathogen.
authors.affiliation: Centre of Microbial Host Interactions, Institute of Technology Tallaght, Tallaght, Dublin 24, Ireland.
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cullen
authors.affiliation: Cardiff School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Weiser
authors.affiliation: Institute of Genetics and Microbiology, University of Wroclaw, Wroclaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Tomasz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Olszak
authors.affiliation: IBB - Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Department of Bioengineering, Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal.
authors.forename: Rita F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Maldonado
authors.affiliation: IBB - Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Department of Bioengineering, Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal.
authors.forename: Ana S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Moreira
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Slachmuylders
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Gilles
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Brackman
authors.affiliation: Institute of Microbiology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev Str., Bl. 26, Sofia 1113, Bulgaria.
authors.forename: Tsvetelina S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Paunova-Krasteva
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce, Kielce, Poland.
authors.forename: Paulina
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zarnowiec
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce, Kielce, Poland.
authors.forename: Grzegorz
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Czerwonka
authors.affiliation: Centre of Microbial Host Interactions, Institute of Technology Tallaght, Tallaght, Dublin 24, Ireland.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Reilly
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology, Motol University Hospital & 2nd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Pavel
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Drevinek
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Jan Kochanowski University in Kielce, Kielce, Poland.
authors.forename: Wieslaw
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Kaca
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Microbiology, Motol University Hospital & 2nd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Oto
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Melter
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cellular Medicine, Newcastle University & Bronchiectasis Service, Freeman Hospital Newcastle, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK.
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: De Soyza
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Microbiology, Freeman Hospital Newcastle, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK.
authors.forename: Audrey
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Perry
authors.affiliation: Institute for Infection and Global Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.
authors.forename: Craig
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Winstanley
authors.affiliation: Institute of Microbiology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev Str., Bl. 26, Sofia 1113, Bulgaria.
authors.forename: Stoyanka R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Stoitsova
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Gene Technology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Rob
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lavigne
authors.affiliation: Cardiff School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK.
authors.forename: Eshwar
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mahenthiralingam
authors.affiliation: IBB - Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences, Department of Bioengineering, Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal.
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sá-Correia
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Coenye
authors.affiliation: Institute of Genetics and Microbiology, University of Wroclaw, Wroclaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Zuzanna
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Drulis-Kawa
authors.affiliation: Institute of Genetics and Microbiology, University of Wroclaw, Wroclaw, Poland.
authors.forename: Daria
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Augustyniak
authors.affiliation: Centre for Infection and Immunity, School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Queen's University, Belfast, UK.
authors.forename: Miguel A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Valvano
authors.affiliation: Centre of Microbial Host Interactions, Institute of Technology Tallaght, Tallaght, Dublin 24, Ireland.
authors.forename: Siobhán
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: McClean
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003550:Cystic Fibrosis / Q000150:complications*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004783:Environmental Microbiology; D006801:Humans; D007915:Lepidoptera / Q000382:microbiology; D007928:Lethal Dose 50; D008124:Locomotion; D010641:Phenotype; D011552:Pseudomonas Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity* / Q000502:physiology; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014774:Virulence