genomewide characterization of host-pathogen interactions by ...

log cfu/g liver
Maren Depke
Results
Liver Gene Expression Pattern in a Mouse Psychological Stress Model
Reduced antibacterial response in the liver after chronic stress exposure [Cornelia Kiank]
Kiank et al. already showed that chronic psychological stress increased the bacterial spreading
after experimental infection with the extracellular pathogen E. coli ATCC 25922 (Kiank et al.
2006). To elucidate whether altered hepatic immune responsiveness of chronically stressed
animals also alters the antibacterial response to intracellular microbes, BALB/c mice were
intraperitoneally challenged with 150 cfu Salmonella typhimurium. Salmonella infection could not
be restricted at 48 and 72 h after infection when mice were exposed to nine stress sessions prior
to the bacterial challenge (Fig. R.1.9). This shows that although immune effector cells infiltrated
the liver of chronically stressed mice, immune suppression dominated, which resulted in an
insufficient protection against infections.
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Fig. R.1.9 Bacterial load of livers after infection with Salmonella
typhimurium.
Colony forming units (cfu) in the liver of chronically stressed (black
box plots) and non-stressed mice (white box plots) 48 and 72 h
after intraperitoneal infection with 150 cfu of S. typhimurium wt
12023 are displayed. (n = 9 mice/group, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001
by Mann-Whitney U-test, data representative for two independent
experiments).
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48 h 72 h
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