Journal article
Alpha-Toxin Promotes Staphylococcus aureus Mucosal Biofilm Formation
Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology, Vol.2, pp.64-64
2012
DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2012.00064
PMCID: PMC3417397
PMID: 22919655
Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus
causes many diseases in humans, ranging from mild skin infections to serious, life-threatening, superantigen-mediated Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS).
S. aureus
may be asymptomatically carried in the anterior nares or vagina or on the skin, serving as a reservoir for infection. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis clonal type USA200 is the most widely disseminated colonizer and the leading cause of TSS. The cytolysin α-toxin (also known as α-hemolysin or Hla) is the major epithelial proinflammatory exotoxin produced by TSS
S. aureus
USA200 isolates. The current study aims to characterize the differences between TSS USA200 strains [high (
hla
+
) and low (
hla
−
) α-toxin producers] in their ability to disrupt vaginal mucosal tissue and to characterize the subsequent infection. Tissue viability post-infection and biofilm formation of TSS USA200 isolates CDC587 and MN8, which contain the α-toxin pseudogene (
hla
−
), MNPE (
hla
+
), and MNPE isogenic
hla
knockout (
hla
KO), were observed via LIVE/DEAD® staining and confocal microscopy. All TSS strains grew to similar bacterial densities (1–5 × 10
8
CFU) on the mucosa and were proinflammatory over 3 days. However, MNPE formed biofilms with significant reductions in the mucosal viability whereas neither CDC587 (
hla
−
), MN8 (
hla
−
), nor MNPE
hla
KO formed biofilms. The latter strains were also less cytotoxic than wild-type MNPE. The addition of exogenous, purified α-toxin to MNPE
hla
KO restored the biofilm phenotype. We speculate that α-toxin affects
S. aureus
phenotypic growth on vaginal mucosa by promoting tissue disruption and biofilm formation. Further, α-toxin mutants (
hla
−
) are not benign colonizers, but rather form a different type of infection, which we have termed high density pathogenic variants (HDPV).
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Alpha-Toxin Promotes Staphylococcus aureus Mucosal Biofilm Formation
- Creators
- Michele J Anderson - Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, University of MinnesotaYing-Chi Lin - School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Kaohsiung Medical UniversityAaron N Gillman - Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, University of MinnesotaPatrick J Parks - 3M Skin and Wound Care Division, 3M CompanyPatrick M Schlievert - Department of Microbiology, Carver College of Medicine, University of IowaMarnie L Peterson - Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, University of Minnesota
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology, Vol.2, pp.64-64
- DOI
- 10.3389/fcimb.2012.00064
- PMID
- 22919655
- PMCID
- PMC3417397
- NLM abbreviation
- Front Cell Infect Microbiol
- ISSN
- 2235-2988
- eISSN
- 2235-2988
- Publisher
- Frontiers Research Foundation
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 2012
- Academic Unit
- Microbiology and Immunology; Internal Medicine
- Record Identifier
- 9984001130802771
Metrics
35 Record Views