A versatile assay to determine bacterial and host factors contributing to opsonophagocytotic killing in hirudin-anticoagulated whole blood
Publication year
2017Source
Scientific Reports, 7, (2017), article 42137ISSN
Publication type
Article / Letter to editor

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Organization
Laboratory Medicine
Paediatrics - OUD tm 2017
Paediatrics
Journal title
Scientific Reports
Volume
vol. 7
Subject
Radboudumc 4: lnfectious Diseases and Global Health RIMLS: Radboud Institute for Molecular Life SciencesAbstract
Most bacteria entering the bloodstream will be eliminated through complement activation on the bacterial surface and opsonophagocytosis. However, when these protective innate immune systems do not work optimally, or when bacteria are equipped with immune evasion mechanisms that prevent killing, this can lead to serious infections such as bacteremia and meningitis, which is associated with high morbidity and mortality. In order to study the complement evasion mechanisms of bacteria and the capacity of human blood to opsonize and kill bacteria, we developed a versatile whole blood killing assay wherein both phagocyte function and complement activity can easily be monitored and modulated. In this assay we use a selective thrombin inhibitor hirudin to fully preserve complement activity of whole blood. This assay allows controlled analysis of the requirements for active complement by replacing or heat-inactivating plasma, phagocyte function and bacterial immune evasion mechanisms that contribute to survival in human blood.
This item appears in the following Collection(s)
- Academic publications [202736]
- Electronic publications [100858]
- Faculty of Medical Sciences [79998]
- Open Access publications [69574]
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