Morphological Changes in Murine


 * Prior studies have indicated that biofilm-derived SP are avirulent but IAV infection releases virulent SP from biofilms in vitro and in vivo. Triggers of dispersal include IAV-induced changes in the nasopharynx, such as increased temperature (fever) and extracellular ATP (tissue damage) (PETTIGREW et al., 2014).
 * The lung expresses a diverse galectin repertoire expressed in the airway epithelial cells, from which selected galectins, including galectin 1 (Gal1) and galectin 3 (Gal3), are released to the bronchoalveolar space. IV and subsequent SP infections significantly alter the glycosylation patterns of the airway epithelial surface and modulate galectin expression (NITA-LAZAR et al., 2015).
 * Upon IV infection, SP adhesion to the air-way epithelial surface is enhanced by an interplay among the host galectins and viral and SP neuraminidases (NITA-LAZAR et al., 2015).