Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36510131›Full record

ArticleBMC microbiology2022

Copper selects for siderophore-mediated virulence in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Luke Lear, Elze Hesse, Angus Buckling, Michiel Vos

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC microbiology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
1.3field-weighted citation impact, top 20% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 17 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Copper-induced stress mechanisms inApplied and environmental microbiology · 2025
    Article
  2. Beilstein journal of organic chemistry · 2025
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Non-classical roles of bacterial siderophores in pathogenesis.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2024
    Review
  5. Article
  6. Review
  7. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Luke LearEuropean Centre for Environment and Human Health, University of Exeter Medical School, Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 9FE, UK. ll381@exeter.ac.uk.
Elze HesseCollege of Life and Environmental Science, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 9FE, UK.
Angus BucklingCollege of Life and Environmental Science, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 9FE, UK.
Michiel VosEuropean Centre for Environment and Human Health, University of Exeter Medical School, Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 9FE, UK.
University of Exeter · GB

Funding

Natural Environment Research Council NE/R011524/1Natural Environment Research Council NE/T008083/1Natural Environment Research Council NE/V012347/1UK Research and Innovation MR/V022482/1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIron is essential for almost all bacterial pathogens and consequently it is actively withheld by their hosts. However, the production of extracellular siderophores enables iron sequestration by pathogens, increasing their virulence. Another function of siderophores is extracellular detoxification of non-ferrous metals. Here, we experimentally link the detoxification and virulence roles of siderophores by testing whether the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa displays greater virulence after exposure to copper. To do this, we incubated P. aeruginosa under different environmentally relevant copper regimes for either two or twelve days. Subsequent growth in a copper-free environment removed phenotypic effects, before we quantified pyoverdine production (the primary siderophore produced by P. aeruginosa), and virulence using the Galleria mellonella infection model.

resultsCopper selected for increased pyoverdine production, which was positively correlated with virulence. This effect increased with time, such that populations incubated with high copper for twelve days were the most virulent. Replication of the experiment with a non-pyoverdine producing strain of P. aeruginosa demonstrated that pyoverdine production was largely responsible for the change in virulence.

conclusionsWe here show a direct link between metal stress and bacterial virulence, highlighting another dimension of the detrimental effects of metal pollution on human health.

Indexed as

Pseudomonas aeruginosaSiderophoresHumansIronVirulenceIronSiderophoresCoincidental selectionEvolution of virulenceMetal detoxificationOpportunistic pathogenPyoverdine

Identifiers

PMID36510131
PMCPMC9745993
OpenAlexW4311219765

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.