Abstract
Purpose :
Although herpes simplex virus type-1 (HSV1) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) are common pathogens of the ocular surface infection, their interaction is poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate the effect of S. aureus lysates (SAL) on the HSV1 infection in conjunctival epithelial cells.
Methods :
Conjunctival epithelial cells were infected with HSV1 (HSV-1-H129 knocked in GFP, HSVg4) at MOI 0.1 and 1. Pre- or post-virus-infection, SAL at various protein concentration were addited into culture medium and cultured up to 24 hours. GFP fluorescence of HSVg4 in cells were examined under fluorescence microscope and photographed. For comparison, lipoteichoic acid (LTA-sa), Staphylococal protein A (SPA), peptidoglycan (PGN), and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were used to evalute their effects on the HSVg4 infection in cultured cells.
Results :
Compared to virus-free cell controls, similar changes at different degree were found in cells that infected MOI 0.1 and MOI 1 HSV1. With the increasing of SAL concentration in culture media, the morphological results showed that cell lesions decreased. The GFP fluorescence of HSVg4 decreased in a dose dependent manner. Additon of LTA-sa, SPA or PGN into medium resulted in weak (LTA-sa and SPA) or non GFP fluorescence in the cells that were infected with HSVg4. In contrast, the addition of LPS in culture media enhanced the HSVg4 fluorescence in a dose-dependent manner.
Conclusions :
Our study suggests that SAL inhibits HSV-1 infection in the conjunctival epithelial cells. The active component of S. aureus remains to be identified.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2018 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Honolulu, Hawaii, April 29 - May 3, 2018.