Intracellular viability of toxigenic Corynebacterium diphtheriae strains in HEp-2 cells

Corynebacterium diphtheriae, generally considered an extracellular coloniser, was evaluated for its ability to enter and survive within HEp-2 monolayers by gentamicin protection assay. Intracellular viability of HC01 strain, isolated from endocarditis, was more expressive (2.59%) than observed in 24...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inFEMS microbiology letters Vol. 215; no. 1; pp. 115 - 119
Main Authors Hirata, Raphael, Napoleão, Fátima, Monteiro-Leal, Luiz Henrique, Andrade, Arnaldo F.B, Nagao, Prescilla E, Formiga, Luiz Carlos D, Fonseca, Leila S, Mattos-Guaraldi, Ana Luı́za
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Elsevier B.V 24.09.2002
Subjects
Corynebacterium diphtheriae
Diphtheria
Endocarditis
HEp-2 cell
Intracellular viability
Intracellular viability
HEp-2 cell
Diphtheria
Corynebacterium diphtheriae
Endocarditis
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Summary:Corynebacterium diphtheriae, generally considered an extracellular coloniser, was evaluated for its ability to enter and survive within HEp-2 monolayers by gentamicin protection assay. Intracellular viability of HC01 strain, isolated from endocarditis, was more expressive (2.59%) than observed in 241 (0.21%) and CDC-E8392 (1.93%) strains. Electron microscopy of C. diphtheriae-infected HEp-2 cells revealed intracellular bacteria inside membrane-bound vacuoles. Bacterial internalisation was totally inhibited by 5 μM cytochalasin E and significantly inhibited by 100 μM genistein ( P<0.05). Therefore, C. diphtheriae presents the ability to survive within cultured epithelial cells and signalling cascade as well as actin polymerisation are required for entry of diphtheria bacilli into HEp-2 cells.
ISSN:0378-1097
1574-6968
DOI:10.1016/S0378-1097(02)00930-8