Investigating the Role of Staphylococcus ureus Proteins During Co-infection with Influenza A virus
Date
2025
Authors
Therrien, Elise
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Victoria
Abstract
Co-infection with S. aureus and influenza A virus increases the mortality rate of viral disease, and during co-infection, viral titre is increased. This work aimed to uncover bacterial factors that contribute to the increase in viral particle production during co-infection. A screen of the bacterial genome revealed that pro-viral activity is mediated by the sae gene. The genetic basis of this activity was confirmed with genetic complementation. In addition to encoding a two-component system, sae also regulates many bacterial virulence factors.The sae regulon was screened for pro-viral effects, and the fnbA gene was required for pro-viral activity. Bacterial adhesion and invasion assays were performed to investigate the interactions between FnbA and virus-infected cells at 1 hour and 4 hours post-viral infection. We concluded that FnbA is not required for adhesion but is required for invasion of virus-infected cells at all points in the viral life cycle.
Description
Keywords
Staphylococcus aureus, influenza, co-infection, virus, bacteria, microbiology