title: Experimental Evidence of Bacterial Colonization of Human Coronary Microvasculature and Myocardial Tissue during Meningococcemia.
abstract: Meningococcal septic shock is associated with profound vasoplegia, early and severe myocardial dysfunction, and extended skin necrosis responsible for a specific clinical entity designated purpura fulminans (PF). PF represents 90% of fatal meningococcal infections. One characteristic of meningococcal PF is the myocardial dysfunction that occurs in the early phase of sepsis. Furthermore, hemodynamic studies have shown that the prognosis of meningococcal sepsis is directly related to the degree of impairment of cardiac contractility during the initial phase of the disease. To gain insight into a potential interaction of Neisseria meningitidis with the myocardial microvasculature, we modified a previously described humanized mouse model by grafting human myocardial tissue to SCID mice. We then infected the grafted mice with N. meningitides Using the humanized SCID mouse model, we demonstrated that N. meningitidis targets the human myocardial tissue vasculature, leading to the formation of blood thrombi, infectious vasculitis, and vascular leakage. These results suggest a novel mechanism of myocardial injury in the course of severe N. meningitidis sepsis that is likely to participate in primary myocardial dysfunction.
authors.affiliation: INSERM, U1151, Institut Necker Enfants Malades, Paris, France Université Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines, Versailles, France Service de Neurologie et Réanimation pédiatrique, Hôpital Raymond Poincaré, APHP, Garches, France jean.bergounioux@aphp.fr.
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bergounioux
authors.affiliation: INSERM, U1151, Institut Necker Enfants Malades, Paris, France Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Mathieu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Coureuil
authors.affiliation: Centre Chirurgical Marie Lannelongue, Clamard, France.
authors.forename: Emre
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Belli
authors.affiliation: Centre Chirurgical Marie Lannelongue, Clamard, France.
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ly
authors.affiliation: Service de Biochimie, Hôpital Européen George Pompidou, APHP, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cambillau
authors.affiliation: SFR-Necker Cell Imaging Plateform, Imagine Institut, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Goudin
authors.affiliation: INSERM, U1151, Institut Necker Enfants Malades, Paris, France Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France Laboratoire de Microbiologie Hôpital Necker-Enfants malades, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Xavier
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Nassif
authors.affiliation: INSERM, U1151, Institut Necker Enfants Malades, Paris, France Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France Laboratoire de Microbiologie Hôpital Necker-Enfants malades, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Join-Lambert
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016470:Bacteremia / Q000382:microbiology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D008589:Meningococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D016513:Mice, SCID; D055806:Microvessels / Q000382:microbiology*; D009206:Myocardium; D009345:Neisseria meningitidis; D012772:Shock, Septic / Q000097:blood; D014657:Vasculitis / Q000473:pathology; D020246:Venous Thrombosis / Q000473:pathology