2013 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

Live-imaging of Pneumococci and immune-cells in lung.

Research Project

Project/Area Number	24791024
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
Allocation Type	Multi-year Fund
Research Field	Infectious disease medicine
Research Institution	Yamaguchi University
Principal Investigator	OGINO Hidetaka 山口大学, 医学(系)研究科(研究院), 助教 (80589325)
Project Period (FY)	2012-04-01 – 2014-03-31
Keywords	感染症 / 免疫細胞
Research Abstract	Pneumonia is the leading cause of death in children worldwide. In the causing agent of pneumonia, Streptococcus pneumoniae is the major pathogenic bacterium. Pneumonia caused by bacteria can be treated with antibiotics. However antibiotic-resistant S. pneumoniae is appeared recently, and the antibiotic treatment is becoming difficult. For preventive measures to pneumonia, the vaccination is important. In this study, we tried to uncover the nature of pneumococci and immune-cells at lung in living body with or without pneumococcal-vaccine. For live imaging at lung, we developed the brighter fluorescent pneumococci. The fluorescent pneumococci were colonized at pulmonary alveoli, and some were flown in the blood vessel. The fluorescent immune-cells is going to be injection into the pneumococci infected mouse, and the phagocytosis of pneumococci by immune-cells is going to be observed. In future, the effect of vaccination to the immunological response will be uncovered.

(4 results)