Abstract
Environmental amoebae have been shown to be a host to pathogenic mycobacteria. Mycobacterium avium, Mycobacterium marinum, and Mycobacterium peregrinum can all grow inside Acanthamoeba and other environmental amoebae. Once ingested by Acanthamoeba, M. avium upregulates a number of genes, many of them similar to genes upregulated upon phagocytosis of M. avium by macrophages. Mycobacteria ingested by amoebae grow intracellularly, acquiring an invasive phenotype, evident when the bacterium escapes the infected amoeba. Once inside of amoeba, it has been shown that mycobacteria are protected from antibiotics and disinfectants, such as chlorine. This chapter describes methods employed for the study of the interaction of M. avium and Acanthamoeba.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Inderlied, C. B., Kemper, C. A., and Bermudez, L. E. (1993) The Mycobacterium avium complex. Clin Microbiol Rev 6, 266–310.
Wolinsky, E. (1979) Nontuberculous mycobacteria and associated diseases. Am Rev Respir Dis 119, 107–159.
Aksamit, T. R. (2002) Mycobacterium avium complex pulmonary disease in patients with pre-existing lung disease. Clin Chest Med 23, 643–653.
Bodmer, T., Miltner, E., and Bermudez, L. E. (2000) Mycobacterium avium resists exposure to the acidic conditions of the stomach. FEMS Microbiol Lett 182, 45–49.
Dam, T., Danelishvili, L., Wu, M., and Bermudez, L. E. (2006) The fadD2 gene is required for efficient Mycobacterium avium invasion of mucosal epithelial cells. J Infect Dis 193, 1135–1142.
Miltner, E., Daroogheh, K., Mehta, P. K., Cirillo, S. L., Cirillo, J. D., and Bermudez, L. E. (2005) Identification of Mycobacterium avium genes that affect invasion of the intestinal epithelium. Infect Immun 73, 4214–4221.
Petrofsky, M., and Bermudez, L. E. (2005) CD4+ T cells but not CD8+ or gammadelta+ lymphocytes are required for host protection against Mycobacterium avium infection and dissemination through the intestinal route. Infect Immun 73, 2621–2627.
Yamazaki, Y., Danelishvili, L., Wu, M., Hidaka, E., Katsuyama, T., Stang, B., Petrofsky, M., Bildfell, R., and Bermudez, L. E. (2006) The ability to form biofilm influences Mycobacterium avium invasion and translocation of bronchial epithelial cells. Cell Microbiol 8, 806–814.
Carter, G., Young, L. S., and Bermudez, L. E. (2004) A subinhibitory concentration of clarithromycin inhibits Mycobacterium avium biofilm formation. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 48, 4907–4910.
Yamazaki, Y., Danelishvili, L., Wu, M., Macnab, M., and Bermudez, L. E. (2006) Mycobacterium avium genes associated with the ability to form a biofilm. Appl Environ Microbiol 72, 819–825.
Cirillo, J. D., Falkow, S., Tompkins, L. S., and Bermudez, L. E. (1997) Interaction of Mycobacterium avium with environmental amoebae enhances virulence. Infect Immun 65, 3759–3767.
Harriff, M., Bermudez, L., and Kent, M. L. (2007) Experimental exposure of zebrafish (Danio rerio Hamilton) to Mycobacterium marinum and Mycobacterium peregrinum reveals the gastrointestinal tract as the primary route of infection: A potential model for environmental mycobacterial infection. J Fish Dis 29, 1–13.
Miltner, E. C., and Bermudez, L. E. (2000) Mycobacterium avium grown in Acanthamoeba castellanii is protected from the effects of antimicrobials. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 44, 1990–1994.
Tenant, R., and Bermudez, L. E. (2006) Mycobacterium avium genes upregulated upon infection of Acanthamoeba castellanii demonstrate a common response to the intracellular environment. Curr Microbiol 52, 128–133.
Danelishvili, L., Poort, M. J., and Bermudez, L. E. (2004) Identification of Mycobacterium avium genes up-regulated in cultured macrophages and in mice. FEMS Microbiol Lett 239, 41–49.
Hou, J. Y., Graham, J. E., and Clark-Curtiss, J. E. (2002) Mycobacterium avium genes expressed during growth in human macrophages detected by selective capture of transcribed sequences (SCOTS). Infect Immun 70, 3714–3726.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2009 Humana Press, a part of Springer Science+Business Media, LLC
About this protocol
Cite this protocol
Harriff, M., Bermudez, L.E. (2009). Environmental Amoebae and Mycobacterial Pathogenesis. In: Parish, T., Brown, A. (eds) Mycobacteria Protocols. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 465. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-207-6_28
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59745-207-6_28
Published:
Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ
Print ISBN: 978-1-58829-889-8
Online ISBN: 978-1-59745-207-6
eBook Packages: Springer Protocols