Maite Echeverz

• Public University of Navarre

Sonicating explanted prosthetic implants to physically remove biofilms is a recognized method for improving the microbiological diagnosis of prosthetic joint infection (PJI); however, chemical and enzymatic treatments have been investigated as alternative biofilm removal methods. We compared the biofilm dislodging efficacy of sonication followed by...

Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of prosthetic joint infections (PJI). Surface adhesins play an important role in the primary attachment to plasma proteins that coat the surface of prosthetic devices after implantation. Previous efforts to identify a genetic component of the bacterium that confers an enhanced capacity to cause PJI have focu...

Contribution of genetic variations in the regulatory region of surface adhesin encoding genes to colonization of prosthetic implants by Staphylococcus aureus

Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of prosthetic joint infections (PJI) characterized by bacterial biofilm formation and recalcitrance to immune-mediated clearance and antibiotics. The molecular events behind PJI infection are yet to be unraveled. In this sense, identification of polymorphisms in bacterial genomes may help to establish associ...

Several dinucleotide cyclases, including cyclic GMP-AMP synthase, and their involvement in STING-mediated immunity have been extensively studied. In this study, we tested five bacterial diguanylate cyclases from the Gram-negative bacterium Salmonella Enteritidis, identifying AdrA as the most potent inducer of a STING-mediated IFN response. AdrA wil...

Abstract Salmonellosis is the second most common food-borne zoonosis in the European Union, with pigs being a major reservoir of this pathogen. Salmonella control in pig production requires multiple measures amongst which vaccination may be used to reduce subclinical carriage and shedding of prevalent serovars, such as Salmonella enterica serovar T...

Due to its multifaceted lifestyle, Staphylococcus aureus needs a complex regulatory network to connect environmental signals with cellular physiology. One particular transcription factor, named σ B (SigB), is involved in the general stress response and the expression of virulence factors. For many years, great confusion has existed about the role o...

Many bacteria build biofilm matrices using a conserved exopolysaccharide named PGA or PNAG (poly-β-1,6-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine). Interestingly, while E. coli and other members of the family Enterobacteriaceae encode the pgaABCD operon responsible for PGA synthesis, Salmonella lacks it. The evolutionary force driving this difference remains to be det...

Salmonellosis is one of the most important bacterial zoonotic diseases transmitted through the consumption of contaminated food, with chicken and pig related products being key reservoirs of infection. Although numerous studies on animal vaccination have been performed in order to reduce Salmonella prevalence, there is still a need for an ideal vac...

Representative IFN-γ and TNF-α/CD4 staining for ΔXIII stimulated splenocytes. 28 days after immunization, splenocytes from control and ΔXIII immunized mice were plated and stimulated for 6 hours with medium, 106 or 107 cfu of heat-killed ΔXIII bacteria. Cells were surface stained with anti-CD4-FITC antibody and intracellularly stained with anti IFN...

Strains used in this study. (DOCX)

Biofilm development and quorum sensing (QS) are closely interconnected processes. Biofilm formation is a cooperative group behaviour that involves bacterial populations living embedded in a self-produced extracellular matrix. QS is a cell-cell communication mechanism that synchronizes gene expression in response to population cell density. Intuitiv...

Cyclic di-GMP (c-di-GMP) is a secondary messenger that controls a variety of cellular processes including the switch between a biofilm and a planktonic bacterial lifestyle. This nucleotide binds to cellular effectors in order to exert its regulatory functions. In Salmonella, two proteins, BcsA and YcgR, both of them containing a c-di-GMP binding Pi...

The Rcs phosphorelay pathway is a complex signaling pathway involved in the regulation of many cell surface structures in enteric bacteria. In response to environmental stimuli, the sensor histidine kinase (RcsC) autophosphorylates and then transfers the phosphate through intermediary steps to the response regulator (RcsB), which, once phosphorylat...