• Bacterial membrane-derived vesicles attenuate vancomycin activity against methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus 

      Kumaraswamy, Monika; Wiull, Kamilla; Joshi, Bishnu; Sakoulas, George; Kousha, Armin; Vaaje-Kolstad, Gustav; Johannessen, Mona; Hegstad, Kristin; Nizet, Victor; Askarian, Fatemeh (Journal article; Tidsskriftartikkel; Peer reviewed, 2021-09-29)
      Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has evolved numerous antimicrobial resistance mechanisms and is identified as a serious public health threat by the World Health Organization and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The glycopeptide vancomycin (VAN) remains a cornerstone of therapy for severe MRSA infections despite increasing reports of therapeutic failure in hospitalized ...
    • Immunization with lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase CbpD induces protective immunity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa pneumonia 

      Askarian, Fatemeh; Tsai, Chih-Ming; Cordara, Gabriele; Zurich, Raymond H.; Bjånes, Elisabet; Golten, Ole; Sørensen, Henrik Vinther; Kousha, Armin; Meier, Angela; Chikwati, Elvis Mashingaidze; Bruun, Jack-Ansgar; Ludviksen, Judith K; Choudhury, Biswa; Trieu, Desmond; Davis, Stanley; Edvardsen, Per Kristian Thorén; Mollnes, Tom Eirik; Liu, George Y.; Krengel, Ute; Conrad, Douglas J.; Vaaje-Kolstad, Gustav; Nizet, Victor (Journal article; Tidsskriftartikkel; Peer reviewed, 2023-07-17)
      Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) CbpD belongs to the lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs), a family of enzymes that cleave chitin or related polysaccharides. Here, we demonstrate a virulence role of CbpD in PA pneumonia linked to impairment of host complement function and opsonophagocytic clearance. Following intratracheal challenge, a PA ΔCbpD mutant was more easily cleared and produced less ...
    • Staphylococcus aureus Membrane-derived Vesicles Promote Bacterial Virulence and Confer Protective Immunity in Murine Infection Models 

      Askarian, Fatemeh; Lapek Jr., John D.; Dongre, Mitesh; Tsai, Chih-Ming; Kumaraswamy, Monika; Kousha, Armin; Valderrama, J. Andrés; Ludviksen, Judith K; Cavanagh, Jorunn Pauline; Uchiyama, Satoshi; Mollnes, Tom Eirik; Gonzalez, David J.; Wai, Sun Nyunt; Victor, Nizet; Johannessen, Mona (Journal article; Tidsskriftartikkel; Peer reviewed, 2018-02-20)
      <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> produces membrane-derived vesicles (MVs), which share functional properties to outer membrane vesicles. Atomic force microscopy revealed that <i>S. aureus</i>-derived MVs are associated with the bacterial surface or released into the surrounding environment depending on bacterial growth conditions. By using a comparative proteomic approach, a total of 131 and 617 proteins ...