1. Antimicrobial activity of mosquito cecropin peptides against Francisella.
- Author
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Kaushal, Akanksha, Gupta, Kajal, Shah, Ruhee, and van Hoek, Monique L.
- Subjects
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FRANCISELLA tularensis , *ZOONOSES , *TULAREMIA , *PEPTIDE antibiotics , *NATURAL immunity , *PREVENTION of infectious disease transmission - Abstract
Francisella tularensis is the cause of the zoonotic disease tularemia. In Sweden and Scandinavia, epidemiological studies have implicated mosquitoes as a vector. Prior research has demonstrated the presence of Francisella DNA in infected mosquitoes but has not shown definitive transmission of tularemia from a mosquito to a mammalian host. We hypothesized that antimicrobial peptides, an important component of the innate immune system of higher organisms, may play a role in mosquito host-defense to Francisella . We established that Francisella sp. are susceptible to two cecropin antimicrobial peptides derived from the mosquito Aedes albopictus as well as Culex pipiens . We also demonstrated induced expression of Aedes albopictus antimicrobial peptide genes by Francisella infection C6/36 mosquito cell line. We demonstrate that mosquito antimicrobial peptides act against Francisella by disrupting the cellular membrane of the bacteria. Thus, it is possible that antimicrobial peptides may play a role in the inability of mosquitoes to establish an effective natural transmission of tularemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2016
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