Effect of Shear Stress on Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolated from the Cystic Fibrosis Lung

Jozef Dingemans, Pieter Monsieurs, Sung-Huan Yu, Aurélie Crabbé, Konrad U. Förstner, Anne Malfroot, Pierre Cornelis, Rob Van Houdt

Research outputpeer-review

Abstract

Biofilm formation by Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the hallmarks of chronic cystic fibrosis (CF) lung infections. The biofilm matrix protects this bacterium from antibiotics as well as from the immune system. Hence, the prevention or reversion of biofilm formation is believed to have a great impact on treatment of chronic P. aeruginosa CF lung infections. In the present study, we showed that it is possible to modulate the behavior of a highly adapted transmissible P. aeruginosa CF isolate at both the transcriptomic and phenotypic levels by introducing shear stress in a CF-like environment, driving it from a biofilm to a planktonic lifestyle. Consequently, the results obtained in this study are of great importance with regard to therapeutic applications that introduce shear stress in the lungs of CF patients.
Original languageEnglish
Article numbere00813-16
Number of pages16
JournalmBio
Volume7
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - 2 Aug 2016

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