Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae biofilms: Role in pathogenicity and potential impact for vaccination development

Abstract

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae is a Gram-negative bacterium that belongs to the family Pasteurellaceae. It is the causative agent of porcine pleuropneumonia, a highly contagious respiratory disease that is responsible for major economic losses in the global pork industry. The disease may present itself as a chronic or an acute infection characterized by severe pathology, including hemorrhage, fibrinous and necrotic lung lesions, and, in the worst cases, rapid death. A. pleuropneumoniae is transmitted via aerosol route, direct contact with infected pigs, and by the farm environment. Many virulence factors associated with this bacterium are well characterized. However, much less is known about the role of biofilm, a sessile mode of growth that may have a critical impact on A. pleuropneumoniae pathogenicity. Here we review the current knowledge on A. pleuropneumoniae biofilm, factors associated with biofilm formation and dispersion, and the impact of biofilm on the pathogenesis A. pleuropneumoniae. We also provide an overview of current vaccination strategies against A. pleuropneumoniae and consider the possible role of biofilms vaccines for controlling the disease.

Incorporation of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae in Preformed Biofilms by Escherichia coli Isolated From Drinking Water of Swine Farms

“…The indirect route of transmission via surface was not considered very important and therefore the ability of A. pleuropneumoniae to survive in the environment outside of its host is not yet known ( 25 ). Previous studies from our group demonstrated that A. pleuropneumoniae is able to grow in unsuitable environments when forming multi-species biofilms with other respiratory pathogens of pigs that are also part of the porcine respiratory disease complex ( 6 , 17 , 27 ). In this study, a total of 10 samples of drinking water were taken from a swine farm in the State of Aguascalientes where previously Loera-Muro et al ( 26 ) detected the presence of A. pleuropneumoniae in drinking water using a specific PCR for apxIV gene.…”

The CpxA/CpxR Two-Component System Affects Biofilm Formation and Virulence in Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae

“…Biofilm formation is reportedly involved in escaping from the host immune system, thereby playing an important role in the pathogenicity of A. pleuropneumoniae in vivo (Bosse et al, 2010 ; Hathroubi et al, 2017 ). The predominant sign of acute pleuropneumonia is high fever that body temperature can elevated up to 41.8°C (Menzel et al, 2014 ; Sassu et al, 2017 ).…”

Transcriptome profiling of Variovorax paradoxus EPS under different growth conditions reveals regulatory and structural novelty in biofilm formation

“…This makes it possible to use these approaches outside the common model organisms to study complex phenotypes such as biofilm formation. Shifts in gene expression have been specifically associated with the biofilm lifestyle, across many different bacteria, and in different biofilm contexts [3,[7][8][9]. A wide distribution of gene-expression patterns have been observed, and there is a great deal of variability that is both strain specific and driven by experimental setup.…”