Staphylococcus lugdunensis--a potential pathogen in oral infection.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to investigate the pathogenicity of Staphylococcus lugdunensis in acute oral infection.


METHODS
S. lugdunensis was isolated from patients with acute oral infections and from healthy control subjects. Antibiotic susceptibility, in vitro cellular toxicity, in vivo virulence, and hemolytic activity testing and dot blot analysis were performed. The statistical significance of in vitro cellular toxicity was determined by means of analysis of variance.


RESULTS
Isolated from the infected patients, S. lugdunensis showed resistance to penicillin, ampicillin, methicillin, cephalothin, and clindamycin, exhibited virulence in vivo, and showed delta-like hemolysin activity. Four of the 6 strains of S. lugdunensis gave synergistic hemolysis. In dot blot analysis, S. lugdunensis showed a positive reaction to the probe of the delta-hemolysin gene in S. aureus.


CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest that S. lugdunensis may be a potential pathogen in acute oral infection.
You
Y O
YO
Department of Oral Biochemistry, Seoul National University, Republic of Korea.
Kim
K J
KJ
Min
B M
BM
Chung
C P
CP
D000038:Abscess / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D000208:Acute Disease; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D009059:Mouth Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D010019:Osteomyelitis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology*; D013210:Staphylococcus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D014774:Virulence
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins