Pneumococcal Adaptation to Intracellular Survival

We recently discovered that pneumococcal bacteria can also survive intracellularly within dendritic cells and lung alveolar macrophages by avoiding fusion with the bactericidal lysosomes and remain viable with the macrophages. In this manner, the macrophages serve as a "silent" persistent reservoir for the bacteria to re-establish colonisation and thereby transmit itself to new hosts. Our lab is interested to study the mechanisms that promote bacterial survival within host cells and immunophenotype macrophages that are permissive to bacterial survival.