Project Details
Projekt
Neutrophil extracellular trap formation in the Streptococcus suis infected cerebrospinal fluid compartment
Subject Area
Veterinary Medical Science
Term
from 2016 to 2022
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 320253943
Streptococcus (S.) suis is one of the most important pathogens in pigs and also an emerging zoonotic agent, causing meningitis and various other pathologies. The pathogenesis of S. suis infections is highly complex and still only poorly understood. Infiltrations with high numbers of neutrophils are typical for S. suis diseases. Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are an important defence mechanism against different pathogens, but its role during S. suis infections and also during meningitis in general, has not been studied so far. Therefore, the goal of the proposed project is to explore the role of NETs in the pathogenesis of S. suis meningitis focussed on the cerebrospinal fluid compartment. Preliminary experiments revealed that S. suis can induce NET-formation in porcine and human blood-derived neutrophils. On the other hand, S. suis also exhibited the ability to evade entrapment by NETs using the DNases SsnA and EndAsuis to degrade NETs. Thus, this project is designed to investigate the role of NETs in the pathogenesis of S. suis meningitis. Human and porcine models of the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier as well as in vivo studies using the pig as natural host will be used to elucidate the impact of NET formation and NET degradation on the host cell-pathogen interaction in the cerebrospinal fluid compartment. The cooperation of both partners, C. Baums and M. von Köckritz-Blickwede, with their expertise in S. suis pathogenesis and NET formation, respectively, provides an excellent condition for the realization of this project.
DFG Programme
Research Grants
