Journal article
Responsiveness of human monocytes to the commensal bacterium Staphylococcus epidermidis develops late in gestation
T Strunk, A Prosser, O Levy, V Philbin, K Simmer, D Doherty, A Charles, P Richmond, D Burgner, A Currie
Pediatric Research | Published : 2012
DOI: 10.1038/pr.2012.48
Abstract
Introduction: Staphylococcus epidermidis (SE) rarely causes infection in term infants but is a leading cause of late-onset sepsis in preterm infants. We hypothesized that the innate immune responses to SE in preterm infants are impaired in a gestational age (GA)-dependent manner. Methods: Cord and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (MNCs) were stimulated with SE bacteria, and a range of innate immune responses were assessed, including phagocytosis, intracellular killing, Toll-like receptor (TLR) pathway transcriptional activation, cytokine production, TLR2 and TLR4 expression, and cell signaling. Results: Phagocytosis and intracellular killing of SE bacteria were similar in neonatal and adul..
View full abstractGrants
Awarded by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Funding Acknowledgements
This study was supported by Princess Margaret Hospital, Women's and Infants' Research Foundation (WA), Clive and Vera Ramaciotti Medical Research Foundation, University of Western Australia, Rebecca Cooper Medical Research Foundation, Channel 7 Telethon, European Society for Paediatric Infectious Diseases, and the National Health and Medical Research Council (project grant 513847), Australia. T.S. was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (STR1022/1-1) and by an international postgraduate research scholarship of the University of Western Australia. A.C. is supported by a BrightSpark Foundation WA Fellowship. D.B. is supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council Career Development Award. O.L.'s laboratory is supported by National Institutes of Health RO1 AI067353-01A1, an RO1 American Recovery and Re-investment Act administrative supplement (R01AI067353-05S1), and by Global Health grant OPPGH5284 from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. O.L. is a recipient of a Harvard-Australia Fellowship. This research was supported by the Victorian Government's Operational Infrastructure Support Program.