Calcium triggers switch from acute to chronic during infections caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, according to a study conducted by Switzerland-based University of Basel researchers. Nature Microbiology published the study.
P. aeruginosa causes 10 percent of all nosocomial or hospital-acquired infections, including pneumonia, and it is also multidrug resistant, notes Science Daily.
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During pneumonia, for example, the pathogen invades the host and then switches from acute to chronic virulence. Once it stops producing virulence factors, the pathogen creates a protective matrix and lowers its growth rate. Researchers have found calcium induces the switch to chronic virulence, according to Science Daily.
This finding is particularly relevant for cystic fibrosis patients who develop chronic infections due to P. aeruginosa, which can result in permanent lung tissue damage.
"One of the characteristics of cystic fibrosis is deregulated calcium homeostasis. We assume that elevated calcium levels in patients promote the switch from an acute to a chronic state of infection. This is of advantage for the pathogen, as it may ensure its long-term survival in the respiratory tract. At the same time, treatment of chronically infected patients becomes more challenging," said Professor Urs Jenal, an infection biologist at the University of Basel.