Open AccessTransient internalization of Campylobacter jejuni in Amoebae enhances subsequent invasion of human cells
Author(s) -
Fauzy Nasher,
Brendan W. Wren
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.019
H-Index - 179
eISSN - 1465-2080
pISSN - 1350-0872
DOI - 10.1099/mic.0.001143
Subject(s) - campylobacter jejuni , biology , internalization , acanthamoeba , microbiology and biotechnology , gentamicin protection assay , amoeba (genus) , protozoa , bacteria , cell , gene , genetics , western blot
The ubiquitous unicellular eukaryote, Acanthamoeba , is known to play a role in the survival and dissemination of Campylobacter jejuni. C. jejuni is the leading cause of bacterial foodborne gastroenteritis world-wide and is a major public health problem. The ability of C. jejuni to interact and potentially invade epithelial cells is thought to be key for disease development in humans. We examined C. jejuni grown under standard laboratory conditions, 11168H CBA with that harvested from within Acanthamoeba castellanii (11168H AC/CBA ) or Acanthamoeba polyphaga (11168H AP/CBA ), and compared their ability to invade different cell lines. C. jejuni harvested from within amoebae had a ~3.7-fold increase in invasiveness into T84 human epithelial cells and a striking ~11-fold increase for re-entry into A. castellanii cells. We also investigated the invasiveness and survivability of six diverse representative C. jejuni strains within Acanthamoeba spp., our results confirm that invasion and survivability is likely host-cell-dependent. Our survival assay data led us to conclude that Acanthamoeba spp. are a transient host for C. jejuni and that survival within amoebae pre-adapts C. jejuni and enhances subsequent cell invasion. This study provides new insight into C. jejuni interactions with amoebae and its increased invasiveness potential in mammalian hosts.