Browsing by Author "Harding, Mark"

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    In Vivo Imaging of Neutrophil Responses to Localized S. aureus Infection
    (2013-12-13) Harding, Mark; Kubes, Paul; Zhang, Kunyan
    Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a highly virulent, multidrug –resistant pathogen responsible for the majority of soft tissue infections. The role of neutrophils in S. aureus soft tissue infections is currently unclear. The objective of this thesis was to characterize early neutrophil recruitment to a localized MRSA infection. Using spinning disk confocal microscopy, we developed a mouse model to visualize the behaviour of neutrophils in the skin following the introduction of an agarose bead embedded with GFP-expressing MRSA. We observed significant neutrophil recruitment not only in the venules but also in the capillaries, which we showed to be mediated by the β2 and α4 integrins. Blocking these integrins in mouse models increased capillary perfusion, reduced cell death at early time points, and altered lesion size during infection. Understanding the contribution of neutrophils in MRSA soft tissue infection will help to elucidate novel therapeutic targets in these infections.