top of page
Search
Writer's pictureProf. Saptarshi Basu

Paper published in iScience!

Title: phoP maintains the environmental persistence and virulence of pathogenic bacteria in mechanically stressed desiccated droplets


Authors: Vishnu Hariharan, Atish Roy Chowdhury, Srinivas Rao S, Dipshikha Chakravortty & Saptarshi Basu


Congratulations to the team!


Abstract: Despite extensive studies on kinematic features of impacting drops, the effect of mechanical stress on desiccated bacteria-laden droplets remains unexplored. In the present study, we unveiled the consequences of the impaction of bacteria-laden droplets on solid surfaces and their subsequent desiccation on the virulence of an enteropathogen Salmonella Typhimurium (STM). The methodology elucidated the deformation, cell-cell interactions, adhesion energy, and roughness in bacteria induced by impact velocity and low moisture due to evaporation. Salmonella retrieved from the dried droplets were used to understand fomite-mediated pathogenesis. The impact velocity-induced mechanical stress deteriorated the in vitro viability of Salmonella. Interestingly, an uninterrupted bacterial proliferation was observed in macrophages at higher mechanical stress. Wild-type Salmonella under mechanical stress induced the expression of phoP while infecting macrophages. The inability of STM ΔphoP to grow in nutrient-rich dried droplets signifies the role of phoP in sensing the mechanical stress and maintaining the virulence of Salmonella.

17 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Best Thesis Award!

Shubham Sharma, an ex PhD (presently a Post Doctoral Fellow at Johns Hopkins) wins the best thesis award granted by Indian Society of...

Comments


bottom of page