Presence of fibrinogen-binding adhesin gene in Staphylococcus epidermidis isolates from central venous catheters-associated and orthopaedic implant-associated infections.
Attention has recently been paid to identify and elucidate those pathogenetic mechanisms, which play a significant role in sustaining the early phases of Staphylococcus epidermidis colonisation and infection development. Several analogies with the physiology of Staphylococcus aureus, a more thoroughly investigated pathogen, have lead to carefully consider all bacterial surface components that mediate cell adhesion. This study aimed at investigating the presence of the fbe gene encoding for a fibrinogen-binding protein in a collection of 107 S. epidermidis strains isolated from orthopaedic infections and 67 from central venous catheter-associated infections. The strains isolated from orthopaedic infections were in large part associated to four different classes of orthopaedic devices, respectively: internal fixation devices, external fixation devices, knee arthroprostheses and hip arthroprostheses. The molecular epidemiology analysis performed by PCR enlightened a statistically significant difference in the prevalence of this adhesion mechanism between orthopaedic infections and catheter-related infections, respectively, of 78% and 91%. The prevalence of fbe ranged from 67% to 91%, suggesting that, even though this adhesin is not strictly necessary for the development of infection, nevertheless it represents a rather common characteristic of strains causing clinical infections, this independently on the presence or the absence of implant materials.
Arciola
Carla Renata
CR
Research Laboratory on Biocompatibility of Implant Materials, Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute, Via di Barbiano, 1/10, Bologna 40136, Italy.
Campoccia
Davide
D
Gamberini
Simonetta
S
Donati
M Elena
ME
Montanaro
Lucio
L
D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D002408:Catheters, Indwelling / Q000382:microbiology*; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D016459:Prosthesis-Related Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D013212:Staphylococcus epidermidis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D002352:Carrier Proteins; C112556:Fbe protein, bacteria