Streptococcus pneumoniae rapidly translocate from the nasopharynx through the cribriform plate to invade the outer meninges

Audshasai, T. et al. (2022) Streptococcus pneumoniae rapidly translocate from the nasopharynx through the cribriform plate to invade the outer meninges. mBio, 13(4), e0102422. (doi: 10.1128/mbio.01024-22) (PMID:35924840) (PMCID:PMC9426477)

Abstract

The entry routes and translocation mechanisms of microorganisms or particulate materials into the central nervous system remain obscure We report here that Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus), or polystyrene microspheres of similar size, appear in the meninges of the dorsal cortex of mice within minutes of inhaled delivery. Recovery of viable bacteria from dissected tissue and fluorescence microscopy show that up to at least 72 h, pneumococci and microspheres were predominantly found in the outer of the two meninges: the pachymeninx. No pneumococci were found in blood or cerebrospinal fluid. Intravital imaging through the skull, aligned with flow cytometry showed recruitment and activation of LysM+ cells in the dorsal pachymeninx at 5 and 10 hours following intranasal infection. Imaging of the cribriform plate suggested that both pneumococci and microspheres entered through the foramina via an inward flow of fluid connecting the nose to the pachymeninx. Our findings bring new insight into the varied mechanisms of pneumococcal invasion of the central nervous system, but they are also pertinent to the delivery of drugs to the brain and the entry of airborne particulate matter into the cranium.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: The authors acknowledge funding support from Meningitis Now, the UK Medical Research Council (Program Grant Number MR/P011284/1) awarded to A.K. and the Mahidol-Liverpool PhD Scholarship awarded to T.A.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Brewer, Professor James and Coles, Dr Jonathan and Scales, Dr Hannah
• Authors: Audshasai, T., Coles, J. A., Panagiotou, S., Khandaker, S., Scales, H. E., Kjos, M., Baltazar, M., Vignau, J., Brewer, J. M., Kadioglu, A., and Yang, M.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Infection & Immunity
• Research Centre: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Infection & Immunity > Centre for Immunobiology
• Journal Name: mBio
• Publisher: American Society for Microbiology
• ISSN: 2150-7511
• ISSN (Online): 2150-7511
• Published Online: 04 August 2022
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2022 Audshasai et al.
• First Published: First published in mBio 13(4): e0102422
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License