A Murine Model for Enhancement of Streptococcus pneumoniae Pathogenicity upon Viral Infection and Advanced Age
Basma H. Joma, Nalat Siwapornchai, Vijay K. Vanguri, Anishma Shrestha, Sara E. Roggensack, Bruce A. Davidson, Albert Tai, Anders Håkansson, Simin Nikbin Meydani, John M. Leong, Elsa N. Bou Ghanem
Abstract
. Conversely, aging and pneumococcal colonization also blunted alpha interferon (IFN-α) production and increased pulmonary IAV burden. Thus, in this multistep model, IAV promotes pneumococcal pathogenicity by modifying bacterial behavior in the nasopharynx, diminishing neutrophil function, and enhancing bacterial growth in the lung, while pneumococci increase IAV burden, likely by compromising a key antiviral response. Thus, this model provides a means to elucidate factors, such as age and coinfection, that promote the evolution of S. pneumoniae from asymptomatic colonizer to invasive pathogen, as well as to investigate consequences of this transition on antiviral defense.