Why a food poisoning bacterium can cause severe wound infections
The toxin NheABC, produced by Bacillus cereus, is particularly active in the pH conditions found in open wounds. Researchers at Umeå University found that the toxin damages both cell membranes and mitochondria and helps the bacterium establish infection in wounded tissue.
The Bacillus cereus bacterium, known primarily for causing food poisoning, can also lead to severe infections in wounds. A toxin called NheABC, produced by this bacterium, plays a key role in this process. Researchers at Umeå University discovered that NheABC damages cell membranes and mitochondria, particularly in the pH conditions found in open wounds.
This damage is exacerbated by certain lipids in mitochondria, like cardiolipin. The toxin's harmful effects are more pronounced under neutral or alkaline pH levels, which are often found in chronic wounds due to blood and tissue fluids. This finding could lead to new methods of reducing tissue damage during infections by targeting the wound environment itself, rather than just the bacterium.
The study, led by Aftab Nadeem and published in Cell Communication and Signaling, involved various experimental models, including human cells, intestinal organoids, artificial cell membranes, advanced microscopy, and a mouse model of wound infection.
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