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1 Second Dept of Internal Medicine, Nagasaki University School of Medicine, and 2 Dept of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Science, Nagasaki, Japan
CORRESPONDENCE: K. Yanagihara, Second Dept of Internal Medicine, Nagasaki University School of Medicine, 1-7-1 Sakamoto, Nagasaki-shi, 852-8501, Japan. Fax: 81 958497285. E-mail: kyana-ngs@umin.ac.jp
Keywords: Cyclooxygenase-2, cytokine, influenza virus, mitogen-activated protein kinase, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Toll-like receptors
Received: November 11, 2003
Accepted February 17, 2004
| Abstract |
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In this study, mice were inoculated with influenza virus, followed 2 days later by inoculation with Streptococcus pneumoniae. The kinetics of viral titres, bacterial numbers and the immune response (cytokine and chemokine production) were also analysed.
Short-term survival correlated with pathological changes in the lungs of infected mice. Influenza virus or S. pneumoniae infection alone induced moderate pneumonia; however, severe bronchopneumonia with massive haemorrhage in coinfected mice, which caused death of these mice
2 days after inoculation with S. pneumoniae, was noted. Intrapulmonary levels of inflammatory cytokines/chemokines, type-1 T-helper cell cytokines and Toll-like receptors, and the related mitogen-activated protein kinase signalling molecules (phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase -1 and -2, p38 and c-Jun N-terminal kinase), were increased in coinfected mice.
These results suggest that immune mediators, including cytokines and chemokines, through Toll-like receptors/mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways, play important roles in the pathology of coinfection caused by influenza virus and Streptococcus pneumoniae.
Influenza virus infection is one of the most pandemic infectious diseases in the world 1. In the USA, >20,000 influenza-associated deaths were reported in each of the nine epidemics between 1972 and 1992, and four of these epidemics each resulted in >40,000 influenza-associated deaths. In general, influenza virus infection can induce bronchitis and pneumonia, but severe lethal pneumonia is usually seen when complications involve bacterial infections. Hence, coinfections of bacteria and influenza are considered one of the major factors of morbidity and mortality during influenza virus epidemics 24.
The great "Spanish flu" influenza pandemic of 1918/1919 killed
20 million people, making it the worst infectious pandemic in history. Recent studies regarding this pandemic have revealed that most deaths occurred among young adults, a group in which the influenza-related mortality rate is usually very low, and pathology sections from these cases often exhibited massive alveolar haemorrhage and pulmonary oedema 57. In these cases, the majority of sections showed acute lobular pneumonia with massive neutrophil infiltration, suggesting death by acute bacterial pneumonia, one of the most common sequelae of the pandemic. These findings suggest that the combination of influenza virus infection and bacterial infection may play a critical role in inducing severe lung damage and pneumonia in pandemic influenza virus infection.
LeVine et al. 8 recently investigated the mechanisms of defective pulmonary clearance of Streptococcus pneumoniae using influenza virus-infected mice. They infected mice with S. pneumoniae 7 days after influenza virus inoculation, and demonstrated that prior exposure to influenza virus altered neutrophil function and the lung inflammatory environment, leading to defective S. pneumoniae clearance. In an in vitro study, Engelich et al. 9 showed that combined infection caused a marked reduction in the survival of neutrophils, which was due to increases in annexin V binding and caspase-3 activation, and also showed that combination infection with influenza virus and S. pneumoniae caused significantly more hydrogen peroxide production than either infection alone. Moreover, a detailed study in a viral/bacterial synergistic mouse model was reported, which implicated a receptor-mediated pathway and other mechanisms in the lethal synergism between influenza virus and bacteria 10.
In the present study, mice were inoculated with influenza virus, followed 2 days later, the day of peak viral titre 11, by inoculation with S. pneumoniae, and short-term survival and fulminant pathological changes in the lungs observed. The kinetics of viral titres, bacterial numbers and immune responses, such as cytokines and chemokines, in the lungs of these mice were analysed. Some critical immune mediators, including Toll-like receptor (TLR)/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signalling, cyclooxygenase (COX) expression and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production were then focused on and analysed.
| Materials and methods |
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Bacteria preparation
Penicillin-resistant S. pneumoniae-187 serotype 19 (isolated at Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan) was used. Bacteria were incubated in brain/heart infusion broth overnight at 37°C, and harvested by centrifugation for 10 min at 10,000xg. The harvested bacteria were suspended in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS; pH 7.27.4) at a concentration of 1x108 colony-forming units (cfu)·mL1, as determined by colony-forming assay on blood agar plates.
Inoculation of mice and sampling
Male 6-week-old CBA/J specific pathogen-free mice, weighing 3035 g, were purchased from Japan Charles River, Inc. (Tokyo, Japan). For survival study, 40 animals were divided into four treatment groups: influenza virus- and S. pneumoniae-infected mice, influenza virus-infected mice, S. pneumoniae-infected mice, and controls. Each group comprised 10 mice. Mice in the influenza virus-infected group were anaesthetised with 50 µg·kg body weight1 pentobarbital and then inoculated intranasally with 50 µL 1x104 plaque-forming units·mL1 influenza virus. In the influenza virus- and S. pneumoniae-infected group of mice, 50 µL 1x108 cfu·mL1 S. pneumoniae were also inoculated intranasally 2 days afterinoculation of influenza virus. The inoculum size of S. pneumonia was based on that used in a previous study 12. Singly infected mice and controls consisted of mice inoculated singly with a dose of either organism and an equal volume of diluent (Roswell Park Memorial Institute (RPMI) 1640 medium), respectively. The mice were observed for 2 weeks for survival studies. The lungs and heart blood were collected as biological samples at 0, 3, 6, 12, 24 and 48 h after S. pneumoniae infection (n=4 in each group). Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and staining of cells inBAL fluid (BALF) were performed as described previously 13. Paraffin embedding and tissue staining with haematoxylin and eosin were performed using standard methodologies.
Analysis of Toll-like receptor and cyclooxygenase-2 expression
Total ribonucleic acid (RNA) was extracted from lung homogenates or cells using ISOGEN (Nippongene, Tokyo, Japan). In order to prepare lung homogenates, lungs were homogenised in 1 mL PBS using a glass tissue homogeniser (Takashima, Tokyo, Japan) for 60 s in an ice-cold water bath.Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed using the First Strand & Detection kit (Life Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, USA). Mice TLR and hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) complementary deoxyribonucleic acids were amplified using the specific primers listed in table 1
. The specific primers used for amplifications of Cox-1 and -2 were as previously reported by Graf et al. 14. Expression levels of mouse HPRT wereused as an internal control. PCR was performed for 38cycles for TLR2 and TLR4, 35 cycles for TLR5 and TLR9, 30 cycles for TLR3, and 25 cycles for HPRT. One PCR cycle consisted of 1 min at 94°C, 1 min at 55°C and 1 min at 72°C. The signal intensity of each band on Western blotting was analysed by AlphaImager (Alpha-Innotech Co., San Leandro, CA, USA).
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Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
Concentrations of tumour necrosis factor-
(TNF-
), interleukin (IL)-4, -5, -6 and -12, interferon gamma (IFN-
), macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP) 2, regulated on activation, normal T-cell expressed and secreted (RANTES), and PGE2 in aqueous lung extracts were assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using mouse Quantikine Kits (R&D Systems, Inc., Minneapolis, MN, USA). In order to prepare aqueous lung extracts, the homogenates were centrifuged for 60 min at 2,000xg at 4°C 15. Supernatants were collected and used in the assay.
Image and statistical analyses
The signal intensity of each band on Western blot analysis was determined using an AlphaImager. Data are presented as mean±sem. Differences between groups were examined for significance using an unpaired t-test. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used for analysis of survival rates. Differences in bacterial numbers and viral titres were tested by geometric analysis. A p-value of <0.05 denoted a significant difference.
| Results |
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Effect of infection type on inflammatory cytokines in the lungs
The concentrations of these inflammatory cytokines were compared between coinfected mice and singly or mock-infected mice on day 2 (table 3
). The concentrations of all inflammatory cytokines/chemokines, including TNF-
, IL-6, MIP-2 and RANTES, were significantly higher in the lungs of coinfected mice than in the lungs of either singly or mock-infected mice (table 3
).
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, type-1 T-helper cell (Th1) cytokines and IL-12, which directs the induction of Th1, were significantly higher than in singly and mock-infected mice (table 3
Expression of Toll-like receptor messenger ribonucleic acids in coinfected lungs
The expression levels of TLR messenger RNA (mRNA) (TLR2, -3, -4, -5 and -9) in the lungs of coinfected mice were examined on day 2 (fig. 3
; table 4
). Both influenza and S. pneumoniae infections induced upregulation of TLR2 and -4 mRNA. Greater induction of TLR2 and -4 mRNA were also observed in the lungs of coinfected mice, compared to either influenza- or S. pneumoniae-infected mice. Upregulation of TLR5 and -9 mRNA in the lungs of coinfected mice was weak, and almost identical in influenza- and S. pneumoniae-infected mice. The expression level of TLR3 mRNA did not change with either coinfection or single infection.
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| Discussion |
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48 h after S. pneumoniae inoculation. On microbiological analysis, counts of S. pneumoniae in the lungs of mice with a preceding influenza virus infection were 10100-fold higher than in the lungs of mice infected with S. pneumoniae alone. However, the titres of influenza virus were similar in coinfected mice and in mice infected with influenza virus alone. These data suggest that the pathogenesis of severe lung damage is probably not dependent on simple synergy between the agents. The host immune response is one of the most important factors in determining lung pathology in coinfected mice, and infection by influenza virus may favour the growth of bacteria, resulting in a secondary bacterial infection and subsequent severe lung damage. Recent in vitro studies have demonstrated that influenza A virus-infected HEp-2 cells exhibit significantly greater binding to S. pneumoniae strains than uninfected cells 16. It has been proposed that influenza virus infection may activate the epithelium and upregulate cytokine production and receptors for platelet activating factor. These influenza virus-induced mechanisms may underlie the enhanced bacterial adherence and increased tissue damage in the lungs. Therefore, the present study focused on host immune responses and analysis of inflammatory molecules in the mice used.
The present results revealed significant increases in intrapulmonary pro-inflammatory and inflammatory cytokine/chemokine concentrations. Among these cytokines and chemokines, the concentrations of TNF-
, IL-6, MIP-2 (functionally similar to IL-8 in human) and RANTES increased significantly in the lungs of coinfected mice, compared to either mock- or singly infected mice. These results suggest that TNF-
, IL-6, MIP-2 and RANTES play important roles in the pathological changes in the lungs of mice with severe pneumonia.
Moreover, the present results revealed increases in Th1 cytokine levels, but no significant changes in Th2 cytokine levels, in the lungs of coinfected mice. In general, Th1 cytokines are known to exert protective and antiviral effects. However, Th2 cytokines exhibit inhibitory effects on viral clearance. The balance between Th1 and Th2 cytokines seems to be involved in the pathogenesis of severe lung damage observed in the present study.
In order to evaluate the relationships between cytokines and the pathological changes, the related molecules TLR and MAPK were investigated in terms of mRNA expression and activation, respectively, in coinfected lungs. The production of cytokines and chemokines in response to components of microbiological agents is stimulated by TLRs and mediated by MAPK signalling 17, 18. Of TLR2, -3, -4, -5 and -9, TLR2 mRNA showed the most specific induction in coinfected lungs. TLR2 is known as the recognition receptor for peptidoglycans of Gram-positive bacteria, including S. pneumoniae 19. Furthermore, strong activation of MAPK-related molecules, such as ERK-1/-2, p38 and JNK, was observed. These data suggest that TLR, especially TLR2 stimulation, and MAPK signalling cytokine secretion pathways may be involved in the severe lung damage noted in coinfected mice.
The potential role of other inflammatory mediators, COXs, which convert arachidonic acid to prostaglandins, was also analysed 20. Of the two known COX isoforms, COX-1 is constitutively expressed in most cells and is thought to be important for normal physiological functions. Conversely, COX-2 is usually expressed at low basal levels and is rapidly induced by inflammatory stimulation. It was reported that COX-2 expression is dependent on MAPK signalling and IL-1ß secretion 21, 22. In the present study, COX-2 mRNA expression was significantly increased in coinfected lungs, consistent with the pathological changes. COX-2 expression has been detected in fatal pneumococcal pneumonia and allergic inflammation in guinea-pig lungs. In the present study, significant upregulation of COX-2 mRNA was found in samples from coinfected mice, compared to those from singly or mock-infected mice. Significantly high concentrations of PGE2 were also noted in coinfected lungs, compared to either mock- and/or singly infected lungs, suggesting that COX-2 and COX-2-stimulated PGE2 production might be important mediators of the severe pneumonia in coinfected mice.
In conclusion, intranasal inoculation of influenza virus and Streptococcus pneumoniae in mice resulted in severe lethal pneumonia with lung haemorrhage. These pathological changes were initiated by the infectious agents and regulated by host immune responses, including the Toll-like receptor-mediated signalling pathway. Administration of cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors may protect against severe inflammation. Further studies are necessary to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of fulminant lung damage in influenza virus and Streptococcus pneumoniae coinfection.
| Acknowledgements |
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