Klebsiella

,
a
bacterium
takes
advantage cell junctions to enter in
the bloodstream
Some bacteria causing pneumonia Nosocomial not enter the
body through epithelial cells of the respiratory tract as
previously thought. They do this through the joints phones,
hallways widened by own tissue inflammation. When this
happens, the patient danger that bacteria reach bloodstream
causing severe bacteremia and death. A group of researchers
of the Institute of Research of Health Sciences ( IUNICS ) from
both the Microbiology Laboratory UIB and the Dureta
University Hospital , been able to document this path .
Open and new ways to obtain drugs
that in the future they can stop this
type of pneumonia in the early
stages of infection.
Researchers at the UIB and Dureta
Hospital work together in the
Research
Institute
for
Health
Sciences ( IUNICS ) following the
steps in this microorganism that
causes
severe
pneumonia
nosocomial nosocomial pneumonias
The respiratory infections were , in
the late XX , a major cause of
mortality,
particularly
those
affecting the lower airways . The
group headed by Dr. Sebastian
Alberti and is composed of both
researchers and the UIB Dureta
Hospital , focuses his study on the
infections of the lower respiratory
tract , specifically in pneumonia .
Moreover, the group has turned to
the study of a particular type of
pneumonia that occurs in patients
admitted to intensive care units and
that require assisted ventilation, or
in patients who have been undergo

transplantation
systems
whose
defense are particularly depressed.
We refer to the pneumonia caused
by
the
Klebsiella
pneumoniae
enterobacteria . Should differentiate
this
kind
of
pneumonia
of
Community calls ( experienced by
healthy individuals and in an area
other than the hospital ) , due
mainly Streptococcus pneumoniae.
Also be differentiated from atypical
pneumonia , otos caused by
microorganisms , both bacterial and
viral infections .
The first thing the researchers
addressed was the virulence factors
set
presenting
Klebsiella
and
preventing the immune system was
unable to remove it. To start the
research, the group cultivated a
virulent outbreak bacteria found in
hospitals . once obtained the
outbreak , the researchers defined a
infection model inoculating bacteria
directly into the lung of mice. Ie
identified each phase of the
infection, give the inoculating the
bacteria to the death of the animal.

Researchers warn that pneumonia

could
thrives
with
a
lung
inflammation to that the fourth or
fifth day death occurs , just 24 hours
after the bacteria massively reached
the bloodstream and has spread to
all organs.
The development of a model of
infection like this is essential in the
face of applied research.
Any project aimed at the synthesis
of drugs and the study of the
therapeutic
effectiveness
of
antibiotics to combat pneumonia
will have to rely information
previously provided by amodel .
Thanks to this model , researchers
have reproduced what happens
inside the lungs of a patient infected
with Klebsiella . The invasion , step
by step When the bacteria is
introduced into the alveoli lung , the
first cells , in theory, realize the
invasion of a foreign organism are
epithelial cells. By tissue culture
Human
bronchial
epithelial
,
researchers have have found that
the most virulent strains of
Klebsiella virtually no contact with
the epithelial cells . In contrast, in
the case of strains virulent that
contact is plausible and bacteria
enter cells .
These results agree with those
observed for U.S. researchers in the
case from another bacterium ,
Streptococcus pyogenes. Actually
this check has shattered the thesis
accepted
by
the
scientific
community, according to which
more virulent bacteria were the
most invasive and were introduced
into cells. In this sense, the new
current scientific that Klebsiella

participates study contradicts the

role simple physical barrier that
until now had given bronchial
epithelial cells . By contrast, the
Researchers at the Institute of
Science Research confirmed Salut
epithelial cells behave as true
defensive
cells
:
bacterium
recognize invasive , allow entry and
give the order to to produce a series
of mechanisms to the removal
strange. Stated another way , the
non-virulent strains of Klebsiella are
not a only cause : because the
epithelial cells recognize and initiate
a mechanism that kills removing the
bacteria by macrophages and
neutrophils,
cellular
elements
immune system . The problem
comes when no epithelial cell
recognizes invading bacteria . That's
when does not occur entry of the
bacteria into the cell,but it remains
in the open spaces , filled air from
the alveoli , at least in the early
stages of infection. Not being
recognized the bacteria by the
epithelial cell is not triggered
defense mechanism or as efficiently
or with the fast enough. But then
the question is evident : if virulent
bacteria do not enter massively in
epithelial cells , how can infection
spread so quickly (24 hours)
reaching the other organs of the
body through the bloodstream ?
How bacteria come to vessels to
cause bacteremia ?
The passage
junctions

through

the

cell

The group of researchers has been

found in bronchoepithelial humans
cell cultures , that leverages
bacteria to cell junctions access to
the endothelium and then move to

the current Blood . Therefore uses

the same path cells of the defense
system to reach from the blood into
the infected tissue. Conditions these
normal cell junctions are closed,
As the inflamed tissue opening
passes the defensive cells .
Evidently, the model come from the
study of cell junctions and the
clarification of the conditions that
facilitate the passage of bacteria is
mass (conditions that are met in
patients hospitalized with their
defense systems depressed ) will
make a solid foundation for the
subsequent development of drugs
able to stop this phase of infection ,
before the bacteria reaching the
bloodstream . The model is also
applicable to bacteria of the genus
Pneumococcus , which has a similar
behavior as a pathogen extracellular
.
The control of inflammation and the
role of the capsule bacterial
On the other hand , researchers
have focused part of their efforts in
trying to control the process
inflammatory infections such . the
inflammation is positive in the first
moments of
As infection is a warning for the
immune system. However, once
achieved that first immunological
reaction and having failed , the
inflammation continues producing a
lung tissue damage and,

However, favoring the passage of

bacteria through the cell junctions
now widened to pass the neutrophils
from blood vessels into the tissue .
The investigators tested therefore
the use of drugs that reduce
inflammation or more specifically to
achieve a balance between is
necessary and what is harmful .
The project headed by Dr. Alberti
has study also addressed capsule
Klebsiella , after checking that it is
on the wall bacterial cell where the
factor increased virulence , the
barrier which prevents the eliminate
macrophages . Experiments in
laboratory animals have confirmed
that unencapsulated bacteria do not
cause any infection and are easily
recognized and destroyed by the
macrophage system immune . The
problem is that the bacteria mutate
rapidly
varying
the
chemical
composition
the
constituent
polysaccharides of the wall cell or
capsule , making it very difficult for
vaccines developed for antibodies
can recognize to be effective .
Other research from the same group
focus on testing different treatments
antibiotics
to
fight
bacterial
infections producing pneumonia. In
this case, part of bacteria strains
have become resistant to most
commonly used antibiotics .
Overall this is an investigation
directed to multiple fronts with the
aim of understanding how infections
occur and , therefore, how to comba

them.