In vivo Infection and In vitro Stress Survival Studies of Acid Susceptible Mutant of Mycobacterium fortuitum

Abstract

Ubiquitous presence of Mycobacterium fortuitum and ability to cause infections in human beings, hints toward its integral resistance against environmental and host stress conditions. With an aim to identify genes responsible for adapting in vitro acidic stress of M. fortuitum, in the previous study, TnphoA random mutagenesis identified acid susceptible mutant MT727, with mutation in ribosomal maturation factor encoding gene rimP, to be mutated. The present study was conducted to explore virulent behavior as well as growth behavior under in vitro stress conditions. Methods: Acid susceptible transposon mutant MT727 was injected intravenously in female BALB/c mice and kidney tissue was analyzed for the bacillary load as well as pathological characterization. Cytokine profiling of MT727‑infected mice serum was done. MT727 was also subjected to various in vitro stress conditions, including detergent stress, heat stress, and hypoxic stress. The viable count of bacteria under different stress conditions was determined at regular time interval. Results: Mutant MT727 showed slight variation in bacillary load in vivo; however, defective growth behavior under detergent and hypoxic stress was observed when compared to wild type strain. Conclusion: Results conclude probable involvement of rimP gene in survival of M. fortuitum under hypoxic stress and detergent stress conditions.