title: Identification and prevalence of an enterotoxin-related gene, se-int, in Staphylococcus intermedius isolates from dogs and pigeons.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the prevalence of enterotoxin-producing Staphylococcus intermedius in dogs and pigeons.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 106 S. intermedius isolates from 44 dogs and 62 pigeons were tested for the production of enterotoxins A, B, C and D by reverse passive latex agglutination (RPLA) and for sec-canine by PCR. Only one isolate from dog was positive for SEC and sec-canine. Screening of sec-canine-negative strains by nested PCR led to the identification of a novel enterotoxin-related gene, se-int. SE-int showed a significant homology (59-61% identity) with SEC and (56.6% identity) SEB. All 44 isolates from dogs and five isolates (8.1%) from pigeons were se-int positive.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  While S. intermedius was isolated more frequently from pigeons than from dogs, se-int was more prevalent among the S. intermedius isolates from dogs, compared with the pigeon isolates.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Further characterization of the se-int-positive S. intermedius strains should clarify their pathogenic potential including enterotoxigenicity and zoonotic transmissibility to human beings.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Health, School of Veterinary Medicine, Azabu University, Fuchinobe, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan. saitohk@azabu-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Futagawa-Saito
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ohsawa
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ohshima
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sakurai
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ba-Thein
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fukuyasu
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D010856:Columbidae / Q000382:microbiology*; D004285:Dogs / Q000382:microbiology*; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013210:Staphylococcus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004768:Enterotoxins