title: Affinity apheresis for treatment of bacteremia caused by Staphylococcus aureus and/or methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA).
abstract: Staphylococcus aureus (SA) bacteremia is associated with high mortality, and often results in metastatic infections. The methicillin-resistant SA (MRSA) is an urgent health care issue, as nosocomial infections with these bacteria represent limited treatment alternatives. Samples of whole blood containing challenge inoculums of SA and MRSA strains were passed through columns packed with surface-heparinized polyethylene beads. The bound bacteria were eluted and quantitatively determined by culturing and by real-time PCR. Significant amounts of both SA and MRSA adhered to the heparinized beads (more than 65% of inoculated bacteria). After rinsing with buffer at high ionic strength, viable bacteria or bacterial DNA were eluted from the columns, indicating that the binding was specific. The conclusions that can be made from these experiments are that, as earlier reported in the literature, the high affinity of SA to heparin is retained in whole blood, and MRSA in whole blood binds to heparin with similar or higher affinity than SA. It should be possible to lower the amount of SA and/or MRSA from the blood of infected patients to levels that could be taken care of by the immune system. In previous studies, we have shown that passing blood from septic patients over beads coated with end-point-attached, biologically active heparin is a useful technique for regulating the levels of heparin-binding cytokine. These findings in combination with the present findings indicate the possibility of creating an apheresis technology for treatment of sepsis caused by SA and/or MRSA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases/Clinical Bacteriology, University of Gothenburg, Guldhedsgatan, Gothenburg, Sweden. inger.mattsby-baltzer@microbio.gu.se
authors.forename: Inger
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mattsby-Baltzer
authors.forename: Tomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bergstrom
authors.forename: Keith
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: McCrea
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ward
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Adolfsson
authors.forename: Olle
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Larm
mesh_terms: D016470:Bacteremia / Q000382:microbiology / Q000628:therapy*; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D001781:Blood Component Removal / Q000379:methods*; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000382:microbiology / Q000628:therapy; D006493:Heparin / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007103:Immobilization; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism; D008863:Microspheres; D020959:Polyethylene / Q000737:chemistry; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000628:therapy*; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D020959:Polyethylene; D006493:Heparin