Prevalence of genes encoding for staphylococcal leukocidal toxins among clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus from implant orthopedic infections.
Staphylococcus aureus has emerged as a major cause of implant infections. It is known that it is able to produce several toxins that contribute to its armory of virulent weapons, but there are still no data on their prevalence among isolates recovered from biomaterial-centered infections. In this study, 200 Staphylococcus aureus isolates from infections related to different types of orthopedic implants (hip and knee arthroprostheses, internal and external fixation devices) were tested by polymerase chain reaction for the prevalence of genes encoding for leukotoxins. Although almost all isolates were positive for the ã-hemolysin gene (99%), none was positive for lukM. The leukotoxin genes lukE/lukD were found in 67% of isolates. The presence of lukE/lukD was significantly associated with that of Accessory Gene Regulatory locus agr II. The lukE/lukD-positive isolates were significantly more prevalent in the staphylococcal isolates from knee arthroprostheses than in the isolates from the other implant types. The genes encoding Panton-Valentine leukocidin components were detected in only one isolate that, curiously enough, was taken solely from a knee arthroprosthesis infection.
Arciola
C R
CR
Research Unit on Implant Infections, Rizzoli Orthopedic Institute, Bologna, Italy. carlarenata.arciola@ior.it
Baldassarri
L
L
Von Eiff
C
C
Campoccia
D
D
Ravaioli
S
S
Pirini
V
V
Becker
K
K
Montanaro
L
L
D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005098:Exotoxins / Q000235:genetics; D016267:External Fixators / Q000009:adverse effects; D015964:Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D006622:Hip Prosthesis / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D016268:Internal Fixators / Q000009:adverse effects; D007595:Joint Prosthesis / Q000009:adverse effects*; D007720:Knee Prosthesis / Q000009:adverse effects; D007956:Leukocidins / Q000235:genetics; D009984:Orthopedic Fixation Devices / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016459:Prosthesis-Related Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics
C095698:Agr protein, Staphylococcus aureus; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D005098:Exotoxins; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins; D007956:Leukocidins; C115218:LukD protein, Staphylococcus aureus; C115217:LukE protein, Staphylococcus aureus; C091659:LukM protein, Staphylococcus aureus; C078284:Panton-Valentine leukocidin; D015534:Trans-Activators; C037956:gamma-hemolysin, Staphylococcus aureus