Impact of staphylococcal protease expression on the outcome of infectious arthritis.
The exoproteases of Staphylococcus aureus have been proposed as virulence factors during S. aureus infections. To investigate this, we used the wild-type S. aureus strain 8325-4 and its mutants devoid of aureolysin, serine protease, and cysteine protease, respectively, in a well-established model of septic arthritis in mice. The inactivation of the exoprotease genes did not affect the frequency or the severity of joint disease. We conclude that in the model of haematogenously spread staphylococcal arthritis, the bacterial proteases studied do not act as virulence factors.
Department of Rheumatology and Inflammation Research, University of Gothenburg, Guldhedsgatan 10A, 41346 Göteborg, Sweden. ann-marie.calander@rheuma.gu.se
Ann-Marie
AM
Calander
Ing-Marie
IM
Jonsson
Anna
A
Kanth
Staffan
S
Arvidsson
Lindsey
L
Shaw
Simon J
SJ
Foster
Andrej
A
Tarkowski
D000818:Animals; D001170:Arthritis, Infectious / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases / Q000235:genetics*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D051379:Mice; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity*; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000633:toxicity
D037521:Virulence Factors; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases