title: Assessment of adhesion, invasion and cytotoxicity potential of oral Staphylococcus aureus strains.
abstract: The oral cavity is regarded as a relevant site for Staphylococcus aureus colonization. However, characterization of virulence mechanisms of oral S. aureus remains to be uncovered. In this study, twenty one S. aureus strains isolated from the oral cavity of Tunisian patients were screened for adherence, invasion and cytotoxicity against HeLa cells. In addition, the presence of adhesins (icaA, icaD, can, fnbA and fnbB) and α-hemolysin (hla) genes in each strain was achieved by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Our finding revealed that oral S. aureus strains were able to adhere and invade epithelial cells, with variable degrees (P < 0.05). Moreover they exhibited either low (23.8%) or moderate (76.2%) cytotoxic effects. In addition 76.2% of strains were icaA and icaD positive and 90.5% harbor both the fnbA and the fnbB gene. While the cna gene was detected in 12 strains (57.2%). Furthermore, the hla gene encoding the α-toxin was found in 52.4% of the isolates. All these virulence factors give to S. aureus the right qualities to become a redoubtable pathogen associated to oral infections.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire des Maladies Transmissible et Substances Biologiquement Actives, LR99ES27, Faculté de Pharmacie de Monastir, Université de Monastir, Tunisia. Electronic address: Abderrahmen_merghni@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Abderrahmen
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Merghni
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire des Maladies Transmissible et Substances Biologiquement Actives, LR99ES27, Faculté de Pharmacie de Monastir, Université de Monastir, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Mouna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ben Nejma
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire des Maladies Transmissible et Substances Biologiquement Actives, LR99ES27, Faculté de Pharmacie de Monastir, Université de Monastir, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Imen
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Helali
authors.affiliation: Service de Médecine et chirurgie buccales, Clinique universitaire de médecine dentaire, Monastir, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Hajer
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hentati
authors.affiliation: BioImaging Center Lille-Nord de France, Lille, France.
authors.forename: Antonino
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bongiovanni
authors.affiliation: BioImaging Center Lille-Nord de France, Lille, France; Cellular Microbiology and Physics of Infection Group, Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille-CNRS UMR8204, INSERM U1019, Institut Pasteur de Lille, Lille University, France.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lafont
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire des Maladies Transmissible et Substances Biologiquement Actives, LR99ES27, Faculté de Pharmacie de Monastir, Université de Monastir, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Mahjoub
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aouni
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire des Maladies Transmissible et Substances Biologiquement Actives, LR99ES27, Faculté de Pharmacie de Monastir, Université de Monastir, Tunisia; Laboratoire de Microbiologie, CHU Fatouma Bourguiba de Monastir, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Maha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mastouri
mesh_terms: D018829:Adhesins, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000235:genetics; D002470:Cell Survival; D004705:Endocytosis; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000166:cytology / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity* / Q000502:physiology*; D014416:Tunisia; D014774:Virulence
chemical_list: D018829:Adhesins, Bacterial; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins; C021091:staphylococcal alpha-toxin
keywords: HeLa cells; Oral cavity; Staphylococcus aureus; Virulence mechanisms