Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39638898›Full record

ArticleCommunications biology2024

Pneumococcal pneumonia is driven by increased bacterial turnover due to bacteriocin-mediated intra-strain competition.

Surya D Aggarwal, Kristen L Lokken-Toyli, Jeffrey N Weiser

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Communications biology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

8 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. From predicted bacteriocins to ecological function.Current research in microbial sciences · 2026
    Review
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Transcriptomic analysis ofMicrobial genomics · 2025
    Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Colonization dynamics ofInfection and immunity · 2025
    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

3 authors.

Surya D AggarwalDepartment of Microbiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA. Surya.Aggarwal@nyulangone.org.ORCID 0000-0001-8900-6684
Kristen L Lokken-ToyliDepartment of Microbiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
Jeffrey N WeiserDepartment of Microbiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA. Jeffrey.Weiser@nyulangone.org.ORCID 0000-0001-7168-8090

Funding

Vaccine FacilityP30CA016087 · NCI · NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE · PI MARK Reid PHILIPS · 1985 to 2026
$83.1M
ROLE OF OPACITY VARIATION IN PNEUMOCOCCAL PATHOGENESISR01AI038446 · NIAID · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · PI WEISER, JEFFREY NEAL · 1996 to 2019
$7.4M
Mechanisms of Pneumococcal Persistence During CarriageR37AI038446 · NIAID · NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE · PI Jeffrey Neal Weiser · 2020 to 2026
$3.8M
Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (Division of Intramural Research of the NIAID) R01 AI50893NCI NIH HHS P30 CA016087NIAID NIH HHS R01 AI038446NIAID NIH HHS R37 AI038446
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Using chromosomal barcoding, we observed that >97% of the Streptococcus pneumoniae (Spn) population turns over in the lung within 2 days post-inoculation in a murine model. This marked collapse of diversity and bacterial turnover was associated with acute inflammation (severe pneumococcal pneumonia), high bacterial numbers in the lungs, bacteremia, and mortality. Intra-strain competition mediated by the blp locus, which expresses bacteriocins in a quorum-sensing-dependent manner, was required for each of these effects. Bacterial turnover from the activity of Blp-bacteriocins increased the release of the pneumococcal toxin, pneumolysin (Ply), which was sufficient to account for the lung pathology. The ability of Ply to evade complement, rather than its pore-forming activity, prevented opsonophagocytic clearance of Spn enabling its multiplication in the lung, facilitating the inflammatory response and subsequent invasion into the bloodstream. Thus, our study demonstrates how an appreciation for bacterial population dynamics during infection provides new insight into pathogenesis.

Indexed as

BacteriocinsPneumonia, PneumococcalStreptococcus pneumoniaeStreptolysinsAnimalsBacterial ProteinsDisease Models, AnimalFemaleLungMiceMice, Inbred C57BLQuorum SensingBacterial ProteinsBacteriocinsplY protein, Streptococcus pneumoniaeStreptolysins

Identifiers

PMID39638898
PMCPMC11621112

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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.