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Pseudomonas aeruginosa Inhibits the Growth of Cryptococcus Species

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Abstract

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a ubiquitous and opportunistic bacterium that inhibits the growth of different microorganisms, including Gram-positive bacteria and fungi such as Candida spp. and Aspergillus fumigatus. In this study, we investigated the interaction between P. aeruginosa and Cryptococcus spp. We found that P. aeruginosa PA14 and, to a lesser extent, PAO1 significantly inhibited the growth of Cryptococcus spp. The inhibition of growth was observed on solid medium by the visualization of a zone of inhibition of yeast growth and in liquid culture by viable cell counting. Interestingly, such inhibition was only observed when P. aeruginosa and Cryptococcus were co-cultured. Minimal inhibition was observed when cell–cell contact was prevented using a separation membrane, suggesting that cell contact is required for inhibition. Using mutant strains of Pseudomonas quinoline signaling, we showed that P. aeruginosa inhibited the growth of Cryptococcus spp. by producing antifungal molecules pyocyanin, a redox-active phenazine, and 2-heptyl-3,4-dihydroxyquinoline (PQS), an extracellular quorum-sensing signal. Because both P. aeruginosa and Cryptococcus neoformans are commonly found in lung infections of immunocompromised patients, this study may have important implication for the interaction of these microbes in both an ecological and a clinical point of view.

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Acknowledgments

We thank all members of Del Poeta, Zhang and Luberto laboratories for discussion. This work was supported in part by Grants AI56168, AI71142, AI78493 and AI87541 (to M.D.P) from the National Institute of Health, in part by RR17677 (to M. D. P. and Y-M. Z) from the Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence Program of the National Center for Research Resources, and in part by NIH C06 RR015455 from the Extramural Research Facilities Program of the National Center for Research Resources. Dr. Maurizio Del Poeta is a Burroughs Wellcome New Investigator in the Pathogenesis of Infectious Diseases.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, 173 Ashley Avenue, BSB 535E, Charleston, SC, 29425, USA

    Antonella Rella, Mo Wei Yang, Jordon Gruber, Chiara Luberto, Yong-Mei Zhang & Maurizio Del Poeta

  2. Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA

    Yong-Mei Zhang & Maurizio Del Poeta

  3. Department of Craniofacial Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA

    Maurizio Del Poeta

  4. Division of Infectious Diseases, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA

    Maurizio Del Poeta

  5. Department of Biomedical Science and Human Oncology, Hygiene Section, University of Bari, Bari, Italy

    Antonella Rella & Maria Teresa Montagna

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  1. Antonella Rella
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  2. Mo Wei Yang
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  3. Jordon Gruber
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Correspondence to Yong-Mei Zhang or Maurizio Del Poeta.

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Rella, A., Yang, M.W., Gruber, J. et al. Pseudomonas aeruginosa Inhibits the Growth of Cryptococcus Species. Mycopathologia 173, 451–461 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11046-011-9494-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11046-011-9494-7

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