Prevalence of agr dysfunction among colonizing Staphylococcus aureus strains.
Mutations in the staphylococcal virulence regulator gene agr frequently occur during Staphylococcus aureus infection. Whether agr-defective strains are fit for colonization, an important prerequisite for infection, is unknown. Screening by means of assays to detect delta-hemolysin activity and agr autoinducing peptide production indicated that 15 ( approximately 9%) of 160 healthy human subjects were colonized with an agr-defective strain or a mixture of agr-positive and -defective S. aureus strains. The presence of identical agr-defective strains in family members suggests that these strains are transmissible. Additionally, carriage of an agr-defective strain was associated with hospitalization, raising the possibility that such strains may be selected in a nosocomial setting.
Shopsin
Bo
B
Department of Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA. shopsin@saturn.med.nyu.edu
Drlica-Wagner
Alex
A
Mathema
Barun
B
Adhikari
Rajan P
RP
Kreiswirth
Barry N
BN
Novick
Richard P
RP