1887

Abstract

Few studies have examined virulence gene expression in . In this study, expression of key pneumococcal virulence genes , , , , , , and in the nasopharynx, lungs and bloodstream of mice was investigated, following intranasal challenge with the serotype 2 strain D39. Bacterial RNA was extracted, linearly amplified and assayed by real-time RT-PCR. At 72 h, mRNA was present at higher levels in the nasopharynx and lungs than in the blood. At this time-point, the mRNAs for PspA and PiaA were most abundant in the nasopharynx, whereas no significant difference in gene expression between niches was observed for , and . Both and mRNAs were present in higher amounts in the nasopharynx than in the lungs or blood. These findings illustrate the dynamic nature of pneumococcal virulence gene expression .

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2006-02-01
2024-12-05
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