title: PCR-Based assay for discrimination between invasive and contaminating Staphylococcus epidermidis strains.
abstract: The discrimination between Staphylococcus epidermidis strains that contaminate and infect blood cultures is a daily challenge for clinical laboratories. The results of PCR detection of putative virulence genes were compared for contaminating strains, sepsis-related strains, catheter strains, and saprophytic strains. Multiplex PCR was used to explore the atlE gene, which is involved in initial adherence, the intercellular adhesion gene cluster (ica), which mediates the formation of the biofilm, and the agrA, sarA, and mecA genes, which might contribute to the pathogenicity of S. epidermidis. Whereas the atlE, agrA, and sarA genes were almost ubiquitously amplified, the ica and mecA genes were detected significantly more in infecting strains than in contaminating strains (P </= 0.02) and thus appeared to be related to the potential virulence of S. epidermidis.
authors.affiliation: Groupe de Recherche sur les Antimicrobiens et Microorganismes, C.H.U. de Rouen, Hôpital Charles Nicolle, 76031 Rouen Cedex, France. Bacteriologie@chu-rouen.fr
authors.forename: N B
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Frebourg
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lefebvre
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Baert
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Lemeland
mesh_terms: D001422:Bacterial Adhesion / Q000235:genetics; D017931:DNA Primers; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D006801:Humans; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D013212:Staphylococcus epidermidis / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity* / Q000502:physiology*; D014774:Virulence / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S