THE USE OF LUX GENES FOR MONITORING UPTAKE OF PSEUDOMONAS AERUGINOSA BY RESPIRATORY EPITHELIAL CELLS

摘要

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is found ubiquitously in the environment and is an important cause of respiratory infections in individuals with impaired immunity. Increasing antibiotic resistance in P aeruginosa coupled with the danger of nosocomial transmission to susceptible individuals illustrates the importance of fully understanding the means by which the organism persists within the human lung Numerous bacterial virulence determinants have been implicated in respiratory adhesion and a number of host cell receptors have been identified as potential targets. It has been suggested that a defective host-cell receptor mechanism leads to uptake of bacteria without clearance from the lung and that such an intracellular reservoir might contribute to the persistence of P. aeruginosa lung-infections.