Novel treatments

JOHNSON CITY (April 19, 2018) – An East Tennessee State University faculty member, along with two student researchers, has discovered an unexpected finding related to the cause of a specific chronic bacterial infection, and that finding ultimately may lead to novel treatments.

Dr. Chris Pritchett, an associate professor in the ETSU College of Public Health’s Department of Health Sciences, has spent years studying how bacteria figure out what to do within a host to cause disease.

“Our lab has been focused on the main culprit that causes the demise of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, but it doesn’t just impact CF patients,” Pritchett explained. “It can infect any tissue in the body, and if you get infected, it is hard to get rid of because of intrinsic antibiotic resistance.”

That culprit is the bacterium known as Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a respiratory pathogen known for its antibiotic resistance and associated with serious illnesses like sepsis. Infections caused by the bacterium often occur in immunocompromised individuals who already have existing diseases or conditions.

“It has been elusive as to how Pseudomonas survives in the CF lungs, COPD patients, and others,” Pritchett said.

Now, through his research efforts, Pritchett – working alongside doctoral student Sean Stacey and graduate student Danielle Williams – has discovered a possible answer. A gene known as rsmA was not previously thought to be present in chronic infecting strains, but Pritchett’s lab has realized otherwise, noting the presence of active RsmA in Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains indicative of chronic infection.

“No one thought it would be present in strains from chronically-infected patients,” Pritchett said. “Up until this discovery, it was thought not to be active in chronic infections.”

The researchers’ article on the topic is the first to report this discovery and was featured in the Journal of Bacteriology earlier this fall. Following publication, journal editors selected it as an “article of significant interest” and Stacey’s photograph of Pseudomonas aeruginosa also was featured on the cover of the October 2017 journal issue.

“This recognition is really an honor because it indicates that other peers in the field recognize the value of our work,” Pritchett said.