Community-associated and healthcare-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus virulence toward Caenorhabditis elegans compared.
Community-associated (CA) methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains have emerged as major human pathogens. CA-MRSA virulence appears to be distinct from healthcare-associated (HA) MRSA with several factors [α-hemolysin (Hla), Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL), α-type phenol soluble modulins (PSMα) and SCCmec IV] postulated to enhance virulence or fitness. Using the Caenorhabditis elegans infection model, we compared the virulence of clinical and laboratory isolates of CA-MRSA and HA-MRSA and explored the contribution of CA-MRSA associated virulence factors to nematode killing. All CA-MRSA strains were highly pathogenic to nematodes, while HA-MRSA strains demonstrated variable nematode killing. Nematode killing by isogenic mutants of hla or the loci for PVL, PSMα, PSMβ, PSMδ or SCCmec IV was not different than the parental strains. These results demonstrate that CA-MRSA is highly virulent, shows some strains of HA-MRSA are equally virulent toward nematodes and suggests CA-MRSA virulence in C. elegans is not linked to a single virulence factor.
Division of Infectious Diseases and International Health, University of Virginia Health System, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
Shandra R
SR
Day
Christopher M
CM
Moore
John R
JR
Kundzins
Costi D
CD
Sifri
D000818:Animals; D017173:Caenorhabditis elegans / Q000382:microbiology*; D017714:Community-Acquired Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000382:microbiology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006801:Humans; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014774:Virulence; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000235:genetics
D037521:Virulence Factors