葡萄球菌呼吸相关双组分系统SrrAB研究进展

葡萄球菌呼吸相关双组分系统SrrAB能感应外界O2浓度,并将信号传至胞内,调控下游基因的转录,以应对外界环境的变化。有研究表明,金黄色葡萄球菌SrrAB在有氧条件下促进毒力因子的表达,抑制生物膜的形成;在厌氧条件下抑制毒力因子的表达,促进生物膜的形成。另外,在有氧及厌氧条件下,金黄色葡萄球菌SrrAB调控生长代谢的途径也不一致。表皮葡萄球菌中也存在类似的双组分系统SrrAB,且与金黄色葡萄球菌SrrAB具有较高同源性,但目前尚不清楚两者在生长代谢及毒力调控方面的异同。结合课题组研究工作,简要综述葡萄球菌SrrAB的调控机制,着重比较其在有氧及厌氧条件下的调控差异,这对临床诊治葡萄球菌引起的感染具有一定的借鉴意义。     

金黄色葡萄球菌持留菌形成机制的研究进展

金黄色葡萄球菌(Staphylococcus aureus)是一种重要的院内感染致病菌,是导致人类各类感染最重要的病原体之一。金黄色葡萄球菌耐药问题一直是临床慢性感染治疗的最大障碍。随着细菌耐药机制研究的不断深入,研究者发现持留菌可能是导致疾病的持续性和复发性感染的真正原因。近年来持留菌的存在引起的耐药问题被高度重视,金黄色葡萄球菌持留菌的基本特征和形成机制的研究对临床上更好地控制耐药及感染问题具有重要的意义。为此,本文将从金黄色葡萄球菌持留菌的特性、生物膜、能量代谢、基因调控等多方面对金黄色葡萄球菌持留菌进行系统全面的综述。     

葡萄球菌生物膜形成机制与ica之间的关系

ica位点编码的胞外多糖(PIA/PNAG)对理解葡萄球菌生物膜相关感染病理学方面具有重要的意义.关于ica位点与PIA/PNAG之间如何调节的研究还不全面,另外一种独立于ica的生物膜形成机制存在于表皮葡萄球菌和金黄色葡萄球菌中;细胞表面相关蛋白也能调节生物膜的形成,这些发现为探究它们在生物膜形成机制的潜在作用提供了重要基础.     

植入物动物感染模型在葡萄球菌生物膜研究中的应用与进展

葡萄球菌生物膜引起的持续性感染及耐药性问题一直是临床治疗的难题,围绕生物膜形成分子机制的研究成为防治葡萄球菌生物膜相关感染的关键。建立葡萄球菌感染动物模型有利于研究体内生物膜形成、扩散、致病机制及药物的体内抗生物膜效果评估等。然而,动物体内生物膜形成的影响因素多,如动物种类、植入材料、接种部位、感染剂量、观察时间及评估方法等均会影响体内生物膜形成。结合本课题研究,系统地总结了近40年来葡萄球菌生物膜感染动物模型,重点综述动物模型的建立方法、适用范围及优缺点,为葡萄球菌生物膜感染的防治提供理论依据。     

细菌生物膜国际研讨会会议简讯

近年来,随着多种导管、透析技术、人工瓣膜和人工晶体等高分子医疗材料的广泛应用,因细菌形成生物膜而导致的医院感染日益严重。金黄色葡萄球菌、表皮葡萄球菌、铜绿假单胞菌（绿脓杆菌）等可黏附在高分子医疗材料的表面形成生物膜,生物膜中的细菌不仅具有耐药性,还抵抗吞噬细胞及抗体的杀菌作用,使得感染难以控制,至今尚无药物或制品能有效地预防及控制此类感染。     

细菌生物膜国际研讨会会议简讯

近年来,随着多种导管、透析技术、人工瓣膜和人工晶体等高分子医疗材料的广泛应用,因细菌形成生物膜而导致的医院感染日益严重.金黄色葡萄球菌、表皮葡萄球菌、铜绿假单胞菌(绿脓杆菌)等可黏附在高分子医疗材料的表面形成生物膜,生物膜中的细菌不仅具有耐药性,还抵抗吞噬细胞及抗体的杀菌作用,使得感染难以控制,至今尚无药物或制品能有效地预防及控制此类感染.     

冬凌草提取物对金黄色葡萄球菌生物膜形成的抑制作用

研究了冬凌草提取物对金黄色葡萄球菌生物被膜形成的影响。采用结晶紫染色法评价了冬凌草提取物在不同质量浓度和不同添加时间下干预金黄色葡萄球菌生物被膜的作用。实验结果表明,冬凌草提取物对金黄色葡萄球菌的MIC和MBC分别为125μg/mL和250μg/mL,在亚抑菌浓度,冬凌草提取物对金黄色葡萄球菌生物膜形成的干预作用不明显;当冬凌草提取物质量浓度大于1倍MIC时,其对金黄色葡萄球菌生物膜形成的有明显的抑制作用,在生物膜形成的初始时间(0 h)添加药物抑制效果最佳,2MIC冬凌草提取物对金黄色葡萄球菌成膜的抑制率达到79%以上;24 h后添加抑制作用较弱,抑制率仅有60%左右。采用银染法和荧光染色法研究了冬凌草提取物对金黄色葡萄球菌生物膜的清除效果和抑制胞外多糖的合成,实验结果也表明,在亚抑菌浓度,冬凌草提取物对金黄色葡萄球菌生物膜的清除和胞外多糖合成的抑制作用很弱,当冬凌草提取物质量浓度大于1 MIC时,在生物膜形成的初始时间(0 h)添加药物,对金黄色葡萄球菌生物膜清除效果明显,胞外多糖的合成也受到显著的抑制。本研究为冬凌草提取物在食品防腐和保鲜,以及无抗饲料的广泛应用提供理论基础。     

不同浓度酒精对两种常见细菌生物膜的影响

目的 探讨不同浓度的酒精对金黄色葡萄球菌和大肠杆菌生物膜形成的抑制作用.方法 配制不同浓度的酒精(1.25％、2.5％、5％和10％),作用于培养24 h形成成熟生物膜的金黄色葡萄球菌和大肠埃希菌,利用FDA/PI荧光染料染色,在激光共聚焦显微镜扫描生物膜并分析活菌与死菌比例.结果 不同浓度的酒精对两种细菌生物膜的形成均有一定破坏作用,5％、10％浓度酒精对金黄色葡萄球菌生物膜破坏最大,活菌与死菌比例为0.142 ±0.007、0.006±0.001;10％浓度酒精对大肠埃希菌生物膜破坏最大,活菌与死菌比例为5.751±1.779.结论 较低浓度的酒精可抑制金黄色葡萄球菌和大肠埃希菌生物膜的形成,且10％浓度的酒精效果最好.     

冬凌草甲素对金黄色葡萄球菌生物膜的抑制机制

【背景】金黄色葡萄球菌是一种常见的食源性致病菌,易在食品及加工器具表面形成生物膜,引起食品腐败和疾病的传播,威胁食品安全。【目的】研究冬凌草甲素抑制金黄色葡萄球菌生物膜形成的作用机制。【方法】使用结晶紫染色法和扫描电镜观察冬凌草甲素对金黄色葡萄球菌生物膜形成的抑制作用,刚果红平板法定性检测冬凌草甲素对细胞间多糖黏附素(polysaccharideintercellular adhesion,PIA)合成的影响,分光光度法测定冬凌草甲素对供试菌株胞外DNA (eDNA)释放量的影响,RT-PCR技术检测冬凌草甲素对供试菌株ica A、cid A、agr A和sar A基因表达量的影响。【结果】冬凌草甲素对金黄色葡萄球菌生物膜形成有较强的抑制作用;冬凌草甲素能显著抑制PIA的合成,且呈浓度剂量依赖;冬凌草甲素能抑制供试菌株e DNA的释放量,其中1/4最小抑菌浓度(minimum inhibitory concentration,MIC)的冬凌草甲素作用金黄色葡萄球菌16 h后,与对照组相比,e DNA的释放量降低了48.62%;冬凌草甲素可显著抑制金黄色葡萄球菌生物膜形成相关基因的表达,其中1/2MIC的冬凌草甲素作用金黄色葡萄球菌16 h后,ica A、cid A、agr A和sar A基因的表达量分别比对照降低了91.6%、94.7%、77.6%和70.4%。【结论】冬凌草甲素通过抑制ica A和cid A基因的表达,影响PIA的合成和eDNA的释放,进而干预生物膜的形成。     

SrrAB在葡萄球菌生长代谢及存活中的作用研究进展

双组分信号转导系统SrrAB能够感应外界环境中氧浓度的变化,通过磷酸化水平的改变来调控靶基因的转录,进而影响葡萄球菌的多种生物学特性。研究发现SrrAB与葡萄球菌的毒力、生物膜的形成密切相关,而且有氧及厌氧条件下的调控机制不尽相同。然而,SrrAB与葡萄球菌的生长、代谢及其在病原体-宿主互作中的机制尚不清楚。结合课题组研究,本文就近年来SrrAB在葡萄球菌生长、代谢及其在葡萄球菌与宿主固有免疫细胞相互作用中的研究进展进行综述,为控制葡萄球菌引起的感染提供理论依据。     

Nuclease modulates biofilm formation in community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

Community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) is an emerging contributor to biofilm-related infections. We recently reported that strains lacking sigma factor B (sigB) in the USA300 lineage of CA-MRSA are unable to develop a biofilm. Interestingly, when spent media from a USA300 sigB mutant was incubated with other S. aureus strains, biofilm formation was inhibited. Following fractionation and mass spectrometry analysis, the major anti-biofilm factor identified in the spent media was secreted thermonuclease (Nuc). Considering reports that extracellular DNA (eDNA) is an important component of the biofilm matrix, we investigated the regulation and role of Nuc in USA300. The expression of the nuc gene was increased in a sigB mutant, repressed by glucose supplementation, and was unaffected by the agr quorum-sensing system. A FRET assay for Nuc activity was developed and confirmed the regulatory results. A USA300 nuc mutant was constructed and displayed an enhanced biofilm-forming capacity, and the nuc mutant also accumulated more high molecular weight eDNA than the WT and regulatory mutant strains. Inactivation of nuc in the USA300 sigB mutant background partially repaired the sigB biofilm-negative phenotype, suggesting that nuc expression contributes to the inability of the mutant to form biofilm. To test the generality of the nuc mutant biofilm phenotypes, the mutation was introduced into other S. aureus genetic backgrounds and similar increases in biofilm formation were observed. Finally, using multiple S. aureus strains and regulatory mutants, an inverse correlation between Nuc activity and biofilm formation was demonstrated. Altogether, our findings confirm the important role for eDNA in the S. aureus biofilm matrix and indicates Nuc is a regulator of biofilm formation.     

Staphylococcus aureus biofilms prevent macrophage phagocytosis and attenuate inflammation in vivo

Biofilms are complex communities of bacteria encased in a matrix composed primarily of polysaccharides, extracellular DNA, and protein. Staphylococcus aureus can form biofilm infections, which are often debilitating due to their chronicity and recalcitrance to antibiotic therapy. Currently, the immune mechanisms elicited during biofilm growth and their impact on bacterial clearance remain to be defined. We used a mouse model of catheter-associated biofilm infection to assess the functional importance of TLR2 and TLR9 in the host immune response during biofilm formation, because ligands for both receptors are present within the biofilm. Interestingly, neither TLR2 nor TLR9 impacted bacterial density or inflammatory mediator secretion during biofilm growth in vivo, suggesting that S. aureus biofilms circumvent these traditional bacterial recognition pathways. Several potential mechanisms were identified to account for biofilm evasion of innate immunity, including significant reductions in IL-1β, TNF-α, CXCL2, and CCL2 expression during biofilm infection compared with the wound healing response elicited by sterile catheters, limited macrophage invasion into biofilms in vivo, and a skewing of the immune response away from a microbicidal phenotype as evidenced by decreases in inducible NO synthase expression concomitant with robust arginase-1 induction. Coculture studies of macrophages with S. aureus biofilms in vitro revealed that macrophages successful at biofilm invasion displayed limited phagocytosis and gene expression patterns reminiscent of alternatively activated M2 macrophages. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that S. aureus biofilms are capable of attenuating traditional host proinflammatory responses, which may explain why biofilm infections persist in an immunocompetent host.     

Bap, a Staphylococcus aureus surface protein involved in biofilm formation

Identification of new genes involved in biofilm formation is needed to understand the molecular basis of strain variation and the pathogenic mechanisms implicated in chronic staphylococcal infections. A biofilm-producing Staphylococcus aureus isolate was used to generate biofilm-negative transposon (Tn917) insertion mutants. Two mutants were found with a significant decrease in attachment to inert surfaces (early adherence), intercellular adhesion, and biofilm formation. The transposon was inserted at the same locus in both mutants. This locus (bap [for biofilm associated protein]) encodes a novel cell wall associated protein of 2,276 amino acids (Bap), which shows global organizational similarities to surface proteins of gram-negative (Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi) and gram-positive (Enteroccocus faecalis) microorganisms. Bap's core region represents 52% of the protein and consists of 13 successive nearly identical repeats, each containing 86 amino acids. bap was present in a small fraction of bovine mastitis isolates (5% of the 350 S. aureus isolates tested), but it was absent from the 75 clinical human S. aureus isolates analyzed. All staphylococcal isolates harboring bap were highly adherent and strong biofilm producers. In a mouse infection model bap was involved in pathogenesis, causing a persistent infection.     

Functional characterization of lipase in the pathogenesis of Staphylococcus aureus

During infection, Staphylococcus aureus produces multiple enzymes that enable it to invade and destroy host tissues and metastasize to other sites. One such enzyme, lipase, has been recognized for its relationship in the virulence of S. aureus. However, a direct involvement of lipase in the pathogenesis of S. aureus remains to be demonstrated. Our prior study indicated that anti-lipase serum inhibits biofilm formation in S. aureus clinical strains. The aim of this study was to further characterize the roles of lipase in the pathogenesis in S. aureus. We found that deletion of the lipase-coding gene reduced biofilm formation relative to the wild-type strain. This was shown by culture in 96-well plates coated with collagen to resemble the in vivo infection process. Intraperitoneal inoculation of mice with a lipase mutant strain showed defective formation of peritoneal abscesses, and bacterial loads in different organs were much lower compared with the wild-type. Importantly, active immunization with recombinant lipase protected mice against a lethal challenge with S. aureus. Altogether, our data provide evidence that S. aureus lipase plays important roles in the pathogenesis of S. aureus.     

Evaluation of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli biofilm formation on the surface of polypropylene mesh

A serious complication of hernioplasty with the use of a biomaterial implant is deep surgical site infection (SSI) encompassing the implant. Among the most common etiological factors of deep SSI in patients after hernioplasty are Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli strains, which may create a biofilm on the surface of synthetic implants. The aim of this study was assessment of biofilm formation by S. aureus and E. coli on the surface ofpolypropylene mesh. The study included 108 strains (62 S. aureus and 46 E. coli) from the collection of Department of Microbiology Collegium Medicum im. L. Rydygier in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun (CM UMK). Evaluation of biofilm formation was performed using the method of reduction of 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) and a scanning electron microscope. In the group of S. aureus strains, 88.7% isolates formed biofilm very strongly, 1.6% strongly, and 9.7% poor. Among E. coli strains, 54.3% isolates were characterized by very strong biofilm formation, while 45.7% strong biofilm formation. Strains ofS. aureus strongly than E. coli form a biofilm on the surface of monofilament polypropylene mesh.     

Impact of oleic acid (cis-9-octadecenoic acid) on bacterial viability and biofilm production in Staphylococcus aureus

Staphylococcus aureus is responsible for a broad variety of chronic infections. Most S. aureus clinical isolates show the capacity to adhere to abiotic surfaces and to develop biofilms. Because S. aureus growing in a biofilm is highly refractory to treatment, inhibition of biofilm formation represents a major therapeutic objective. We evaluated the effects of oleic acid on primary adhesion and biofilm production in eight genotypically different S. aureus strains as well as in the biofilm-negative Staphylococcus carnosus strain TM300. Oleic acid inhibited primary adhesion but increased biofilm production in every S. aureus strain tested. Staphylococcus aureus strain UAMS-1 was then selected as a model organism for studying the mechanisms triggered by oleic acid on the formation of a biofilm in vitro. Oleic acid inhibited the primary adhesion of UAMS-1 dose dependently with an IC(50) around 0.016%. The adherent bacterial population decreased proportionally with increasing concentrations of oleic acid whereas an opposite effect was observed on the planktonic population. Overall, the total bacterial counts remained stable. Macroscopic detachments and clumps were visible from the adherent bacterial population. In the presence of oleic acid, the expression of sigB, a gene potentially involved in bacterial survival through an effect on fatty acid composition, was not induced. Our results suggest a natural protective effect of oleic acid against primary adhesion.     

Involvement of iron in biofilm formation by Staphylococcus aureus

Staphylococcus aureus is a human pathogen that forms biofilm on catheters and medical implants. The authors' earlier study established that 1,2,3,4,6-penta-O-galloyl-β-D-glucopyranose (PGG) inhibits biofilm formation by S. aureus by preventing the initial attachment of the cells to a solid surface and reducing the production of polysaccharide intercellular adhesin (PIA). Our cDNA microarray and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometric studies demonstrate that PGG treatment causes the expression of genes and proteins that are normally expressed under iron-limiting conditions. A chemical assay using ferrozine verifies that PGG is a strong iron chelator that depletes iron from the culture medium. This study finds that adding FeSO(4) to a medium that contains PGG restores the biofilm formation and the production of PIA by S. aureus SA113. The requirement of iron for biofilm formation by S. aureus SA113 can also be verified using a semi-defined medium, BM, that contains an iron chelating agent, 2, 2'-dipyridyl (2-DP). Similar to the effect of PGG, the addition of 2-DP to BM medium inhibits biofilm formation and adding FeSO(4) to BM medium that contains 2-DP restores biofilm formation. This study reveals an important mechanism of biofilm formation by S. aureus SA113.