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Many respiratory pathogens, including Hemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, express neuraminidases that can cleave alpha2,3-linked sialic acids from glycoconjugates. As mucosal surfaces are heavily sialylated, neuraminidases have been thought to modify epithelial cells by exposing potential bacterial receptors. However, in contrast to neuraminidase produced by the influenza virus, a role for bacterial neuraminidase in pathogenesis has not yet been clearly established. We constructed a mutant of P. aeruginosa PAO1 by deleting the PA2794 neuraminidase locus (Delta2794) and tested its virulence and immunostimulatory capabilities in a mouse model of infection. Although fully virulent when introduced i.p., the Delta2794 mutant was unable to establish respiratory infection by i.n. inoculation. The inability to colonize the respiratory tract correlated with diminished production of biofilm, as assessed by scanning electron microscopy and in vitro assays. The importance of neuraminidase in biofilm production was further demonstrated by showing that viral neuraminidase inhibitors in clinical use blocked P. aeruginosa biofilm production in vitro as well. The P. aeruginosa neuraminidase has a key role in the initial stages of pulmonary infection by targeting bacterial glycoconjugates and contributing to the formation of biofilm. Inhibiting bacterial neuraminidases could provide a novel mechanism to prevent bacterial pneumonia.

Spatial variations in flux are a result of the shape of the Knudsen cell crucible (K-cell) and the geometry of the growth chamber. In this article, a process simulation tool based on a phenomenological model is proposed and elaborated. Two different models based on physical principles are investigated. Model I includes the primary flux from the liquid surface and a secondary flux re-emitted from the crucible walls for the total flux at the platen. No intermolecular collisions are considered in this model. Since the investigated 10000 g SUMO crucible has a tapered region leading to the crucible opening (the smallest radii opening), molecules undergo extensive interwall and intermolecular collisions in that region. The simulation of intermolecular collisions requires considerable time and limits the usage of the modeling tool in the industry. Thus, the effect of intermolecular collisions is captured through the assumption of a virtual flux source (VFS) at the neck in model II. For the two models, a Monte Ca...