Pathogenic implication of a fibrinogen-binding protein of Staphylococcus epidermidis in a rat model of intravascular-catheter-associated infection.
The involvement of Fbe, a fibrinogen-binding protein of Staphylococcus epidermidis, in the pathogenesis of catheter-associated infection was investigated. An fbe (gene encoding Fbe protein) mutant was constructed by allelic replacement, wherein an erythromycin resistance gene replaced a portion of the A region of fbe. Meanwhile, a rat central venous catheter (CVC) infection model was established to assess the importance of Fbe in the pathogenesis of CVC-associated infection due to S. epidermidis. Fbe-positive S. epidermidis strain HB was significantly more likely to cause a CVC-associated infection resulting in bacteremia and metastatic disease than its isogenic Fbe-deficient mutant (100% versus 20%, P < 0.01). These results confirm the importance of adherence associated with Fbe in the pathogenesis of CVC-associated infection caused by S. epidermidis.
Guo
Beining
B
Institute of Antibiotics, Huashan Hospital, No. 12 Wulumuqi Zhong Road, Shanghai 200040, China.
Zhao
Xu
X
Shi
Yaoguo
Y
Zhu
Demei
D
Zhang
Yingyuan
Y
D000818:Animals; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion / Q000502:physiology; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D002405:Catheterization, Central Venous / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005340:Fibrinogen / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000401:mortality; D013212:Staphylococcus epidermidis / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity* / Q000502:physiology*
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D005340:Fibrinogen