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PMID: 17220307 Published · ppublish English Comparative Study Journal Article Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

Native microbial colonization of Drosophila melanogaster and its use as a model of Enterococcus faecalis pathogenesis.

Infection and immunity ·Vol. 75 ·No. 4 ·2007-04-00 ·Pages 1565-76

Cox CR, Gilmore MS

Abstract

Enterococci are commensal organisms of the gastrointestinal (GI) tracts of a broad range of mammalian and insect hosts, but they are also leading causes of nosocomial infection. Little is known about the ecological role of enterococci in the GI tract consortia. To develop a tractable model for studying the roles of these organisms as commensals and pathogens, we characterized the Drosophila melanogaster microflora and examined the occurrence of enterococci in the gastrointestinal consortium of Drosophila. In a survey of laboratory-reared Drosophila and wild-captured flies, we found that Drosophila was naturally colonized by representatives of five bacterial phyla. Among these organisms were several species of enterococci, including Enterococcus faecalis, Enterococcus faecium, Enterococcus gallinaraum, and Enterococcus durans, as well as a previously detected but uncultured Enterococcus species. Drosophila could be cured of enterococcal carriage by antibiotic treatment and could be reassociated with laboratory strains. High-level colonization by a well-characterized strain expressing the enterococcal cytolysin was found to be detrimental to Drosophila compared to the effect of an isogenic, noncytolytic control. The anatomical distribution of enterococci in the Drosophila GI tract was determined by immunohistochemical staining of thin sections of naturally colonized and reassociated flies.

MeSH Terms
Animals Bacteria/classification,genetics,growth & development,isolation & purification Bacterial Proteins/biosynthesis Bacteriocins/biosynthesis Colony Count, Microbial Drosophila melanogaster/microbiology Enterococcus/growth & development,isolation & purification Enterococcus faecalis/growth & development,isolation & purification,metabolism,pathogenicity Gastrointestinal Tract/microbiology Immunohistochemistry Virulence Factors/biosynthesis
Chemicals
Bacterial Proteins Bacteriocins Virulence Factors cytolysin, Enterococcus faecalis
Authors & Affiliations
2 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Cox Christopher R
The Schepens Eye Research Institute, 20 Staniford Street, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
Gilmore Michael S
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Article Info
Journal
Infection and immunity
Abbr.
Infect Immun
ISSN
0019-9567
DOI
10.1128/IAI.01496-06
Published
2007-04-00
Epub
2007-00-12
Pages
1565-76
Language
English
Region
United States
NLM ID
0246127
PMCID
PMC1865669
Subset
IM
Grants
NCRR NIH HHS · 1RR 020596-01A1 · United States
NIAID NIH HHS · R21 AI054614 · United States
NIAID NIH HHS · AI 41108 · United States
NIAID NIH HHS · R01 AI041108 · United States
NIAID NIH HHS · AI 054614 · United States
NCRR NIH HHS · R21 RR020596 · United States
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.1128/IAI.01496-06 PMC Full Text View journal details
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