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Glucose-Induced Enhanced Virulence in Strains of Multidrug-Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolated from Diabetic Patients

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Abstract

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is known for its metabolic versatility and uses a variety of substrates; interestingly, glucose is not the favored carbon source. Although glucose is not readily utilized by them, there is a possibility that the increased susceptibility of diabetics to infections with P. aeruginosa is related to the effect of glucose on the expression of virulence genes. The curiosity in understanding the effect of glucose on virulence gene expression in P. aeruginosa and the lacuna of studies in this field prompted us to undertake the current investigation. It included the quantification of various virulence factors and their gene expression upon supplementation with glucose in clinical MDR P. aeruginosa isolates recovered from diabetics. Interestingly, the study observed a remarkable difference in the virulence attributes in the isolates with and without glucose supplementation. External glucose was found to be modulating the QS gene expression, thus altering the elaboration of other virulence factors. Variations in the gene expressions induced by glucose partly explain the increased susceptibility of diabetic patients to P. aeruginosa infections.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Nitte (Deemed to be University) for all the facilities provided.

Funding

The work was supported by the Nitte University research grant (NUFR2/2018/10/27).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nitte (Deemed to be University), Nitte University Centre for Science Education and Research (NUCSER), Paneer Campus, Deralakatte, Mangaluru, Karnataka, 575018, India

    Sarika Suresh, Akshatha Naik & Ramya Premanath

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  1. Sarika Suresh
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  2. Akshatha Naik
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  3. Ramya Premanath
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Contributions

SS performed the experiments, analyzed, and drafted the manuscript. AK did a part of the laboratory work and contributed to writing the manuscript. RP conceptualized, received funds, supervised, reviewed, and edited the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Ramya Premanath.

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The study protocol was approved by the Central Ethics Committee of the Nitte University (NU/CEC/2019/0229).

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Suresh, S., Naik, A. & Premanath, R. Glucose-Induced Enhanced Virulence in Strains of Multidrug-Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolated from Diabetic Patients. Curr Microbiol 80, 100 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00284-023-03200-8

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