Pneumonia Bacteria Cell Wall Dangerous

U.S. medical investigators say they’ve found the cell wall of certain pneumonia-causing bacteria can cause fatal heart damage.

Investigators at the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital have also discovered in mouse models how antibiotic therapy can contribute to such damage by increasing the number of cell wall pieces shed by dying bacteria. The team also demonstrated in a mouse model how to prevent this from happening.

The study shows pieces of cell walls from Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria hijack a protein on the lining of the blood vessel wall and use it to slip out of the bloodstream and into the brain and heart.

The findings explain why blood stream infection with S. pneumoniae commonly leads to temporary impairment of heart function, and they suggest a way to prevent that from occurring, according to Dr. Elaine Tuomanen, chairwoman of the St. Jude Department of Infectious Diseases.

S. pneumoniae is a leading cause of pneumonia, sepsis and meningitis.

A report on this study appears in the November issue of the Journal of Immunology.