Type I interferon-mediated signalling is inhibited upon influenza A virus and Staphylococcus aureus co-infection

Introduction: Influenza A viruses (IAV) are the causative agents of severe respiratory diseases, in some cases even leading to death. The majority of these fatal outcomes are linked to secondary bacterial pneumonia, caused by pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). While this problem is known for a long time, there is only scarce knowledge about the interplay of viruses with bacteria during infection on a molecular level. Thus, we assessed how S. aureus may interfere with IAV-induced signalling in vitro. Methods: To investigate cellular signal transduction processes in the human lung epithelial cell…