Oropharyngeal Carriage of <i>hpl</i>-Containing <i>Haemophilus haemolyticus</i> Predicts Lower Prevalence and Density of NTHi Colonisation in Healthy Adults

oleh: Brianna Atto, Dale Kunde, David A. Gell, Stephen Tristram

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2021-05-01

Deskripsi

Nontypeable <i>Haemophilus influenzae</i> (NTHi) is a major respiratory pathogen that initiates infection by colonising the upper airways. Strategies that interfere with this interaction may therefore have a clinically significant impact on the ability of NTHi to cause disease. We have previously shown that strains of the commensal bacterium <i>Haemophilus haemolyticus</i> (Hh) that produce a novel haem-binding protein, haemophilin, can prevent NTHi growth and interactions with host cells <i>in vitro</i>. We hypothesized that natural pharyngeal carriage of Hh strains with the <i>hpl</i> open reading frame (Hh-<i>hpl</i><sup>+</sup>) would be associated with a lower prevalence and/or density of NTHi colonisation in healthy individuals. Oropharyngeal swabs were collected from 257 healthy adults in Australia between 2018 and 2019. Real-time PCR was used to quantitatively compare the oropharyngeal carriage load of NTHi and Hh populations with the Hh-<i>hpl</i><sup>+</sup> or Hh-<i>hpl</i><sup>−</sup> genotype. The likelihood of acquiring/maintaining NTHi colonisation status over a two- to six-month period was assessed in individuals that carried either Hh-<i>hpl</i><sup>−</sup> (<i>n</i> = 25) or Hh-<i>hpl</i><sup>+</sup> (<i>n</i> = 25). Compared to carriage of Hh-<i>hpl</i><sup>−</sup> strains, adult (18–65 years) and elderly (>65 years) participants that were colonised with Hh-<i>hpl</i><sup>+</sup> were 2.43 or 2.67 times less likely to carry NTHi in their oropharynx, respectively. Colonisation with high densities of Hh-<i>hpl</i><sup>+</sup> correlated with a low NTHi carriage load and a 2.63 times lower likelihood of acquiring/maintaining NTHi colonisation status between visits. Together with supporting <i>in vitro</i> studies, these results encourage further investigation into the potential use of Hh-<i>hpl</i><sup>+</sup> as a respiratory probiotic candidate for the prevention of NTHi infection.