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Cited by 97Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia detection and treatmentBacterial biofilms and quorum sensingAntifungal resistance and susceptibility

Biofilm Formation by Pneumocystis spp

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Cushion, Melanie T., Collins, Margaret S., Linke, Michael J.·2009·Eukaryotic Cell
DOI 10.1128/ec.00202-08PMC PMC2643605
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Abstract

Pneumocystis spp. can cause a lethal pneumonia in hosts with debilitated immune systems. The manner in which these fungal infections spread throughout the lung, the life cycles of the organisms, and their strategies used for survival within the mammalian host are largely unknown, due in part to the lack of a continuous cultivation method. Biofilm formation is one strategy used by microbes for protection against environmental assaults, for communication and differentiation, and as foci for dissemination. We posited that the attachment and growth of Pneumocystis within the lung alveoli is akin to biofilm formation. An in vitro system comprised of insert wells suspended in multiwell plates containing supplemented RPMI 1640 medium supported biofilm formation by P. carinii (from rat) and P. murina (from mouse).Dramatic morphological changes accompanied the transition to a biofilm. Cyst and trophic forms became highly refractile and produced branching formations that anastomosed into large macroscopic clusters that spread across the insert. Confocal microscopy revealed stacking of viable organisms enmeshed in concanavalin A-staining extracellular matrix. Biofilms matured over a 3-week time period and could be passaged. These passaged organisms were able to cause infection in immunosuppressed rodents. Biofilm formation was inhibited by farnesol, a quorum-sensing molecule in Candida spp., suggesting that a similar communication system may be operational in the Pneumocystis biofilms. Intense staining with a monoclonal antibody to the major surface glycoproteins and an increase in (1,3)-β- d -glucan content suggest that these components contributed to the refractile properties. Identification of this biofilm process provides a tractable in vitro system that should fundamentally advance the study of Pneumocystis .

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  • Morphological examination of lung tissue infected by Pneumocystis jirovecii reveals a biofilm-like growth structure consisting of round yeast-form clusters that can be recapitulated in vitro under certain laboratory conditions.

    “Morphological examination of lung tissue infected by P. jirovecii reveals a biofilm-like growth structure consisting of round yeast-form clusters that can be recapitulated in vitro under certain laboratory conditions (35, 36).”

    From <i>Candida albicans</i> Biofilms and Human Disease (2015) · cites this paper as [36]

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Authors
Cushion, M. T., Collins, M. S., & Linke, M. J.
Affiliations
Cincinnati VA Medical Center (US)
ORCID
Venue
Eukaryotic Cell
Publisher
American Society for Microbiology
Published
2009-02
Volume
8
Issue
2
Pages
197-206
ISSN
  • 1535-9778 (ISSN-L)
  • 1535-9786
DOI
10.1128/ec.00202-08
PMC
PMC2643605
OpenAlex
W2108287805
Cited by
96
References
65
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 4 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 6 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 4
FWCI
4.70
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
journals.asm.org/non-commercial-tdm-license (tdm)
Locations
  • Eukaryotic Cell (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (R01AI050450, R01AI076104)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia detection and treatment
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Bacterial biofilms and quorum sensing
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Infectious Diseases › Antifungal resistance and susceptibility
Keywords
Pneumocystis, biofilm formation, Pneumocystis carinii, Pneumocystis murina, Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, extracellular matrix, quorum sensing, farnesol, major surface glycoprotein, β-1,3-glucan, immunosuppression, in vitro culture system
MeSH terms
Animals, Farnesol, Humans, Pneumocystis, Pulmonary Alveoli, Pneumocystis Infections, Immunocompromised Host, Rats, Sprague-Dawley, Biofilms, beta-Glucans, Rats

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