Staphylococcus aureus isolates from Eurasian Beavers (Castor fiber) carry a novel phage-borne bicomponent leukocidin related to the Panton-Valentine leukocidin

AbstractStaphylococcus aureus can be a harmless coloniser, but it can also cause severe infections in humans, livestock and wildlife. Regarding the latter, only few studies have been performed and knowledge on virulence factors is insufficient. The aim of the present study was to study S. aureus isolates from deceased wild beavers (Castor fiber). Seventeen isolates from eleven beavers, found in Germany and Austria, were investigated. Antimicrobial and biocide susceptibility tests were performed. Isolates were characterised using S. aureus-specific DNA microarrays, spa typing and whole-genome sequencing. From two isolates, prophages were induced by mitomycin C and studied by transmission electron microscopy. Four isolates belonged to clonal complex (CC) 8, CC12, and CC398. Twelve isolates belonged to CC1956 and one isolate was CC49. The CC49 and CC1956 isolates carried distinct lukF/S genes related to the Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) from human isolates of S. aureus. These genes were located on related, but not identical, Siphovirus prophages. The beavers, from which those isolates originated, suffered from abscesses, purulent organ lesions and necrotising pneumonia, i.e., clinical manifestations resembling symptoms of severe PVL-associated disease in humans. It might thus be assumed that the “Beaver Leukocidin (BVL, lukF/S-BV)”-positive strains are beaver-specific pathogens, and further studies on their clinical role as well as on a possible transmissibility to other species, including humans, are warranted.

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Staphylococcus Aureus Isolates From Eurasian Beavers (Castor Fiber) Carry a Novel Phage-borne Bicomponent Leukocidin Related to the Panton-valentine Leukocidin

10.21203/rs.3.rs-908076/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Stefan Monecke ◽

Andrea T. Feßler ◽

Sindy Burgold-Voigt ◽

Henrike Krüger ◽

Kristin Mühldorfer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Staphylococcus Aureus ◽

Dna Microarrays ◽

Clinical Manifestations ◽

Castor Fiber ◽

Clinical Role ◽

Transmission Electron ◽

Severe Infections ◽

Susceptibility Tests ◽

Panton Valentine Leukocidin ◽

Valentine Leukocidin

Abstract Staphylococcus aureus can be a harmless coloniser, but it can also cause severe infections in humans, livestock and wildlife. Regarding the latter, only few studies have been performed and knowledge on virulence factors is insufficient. The aim of the present study was to study S. aureus isolates from deceased wild beavers (Castor fiber). Seventeen isolates from eleven beavers, found in Germany and Austria, were investigated. Antimicrobial and biocide susceptibility tests were performed. Isolates were characterised using S. aureus-specific DNA microarrays, spa typing and whole-genome sequencing. From two isolates, prophages were induced by Mitomycin C and studied by transmission electron microscopy.Four isolates belonged to clonal complex (CC) 8, CC12, and CC398. Twelve isolates belonged to CC1956 and one isolate was CC49. The CC49 and CC1956 isolates carried distinct lukF/S genes related to the Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) from human isolates of S. aureus. These genes were located on related, but not identical, Siphovirus prophages. The beavers, from which those isolates originated, suffered from abscesses, purulent organ lesions and necrotising pneumonia, i.e., clinical manifestations resembling symptoms of severe PVL-associated disease in humans. It might thus be assumed that the “Beaver Leukocidin (BVL, lukF/S-BV)”-positive strains are beaver-specific pathogens, and further studies on their clinical role as well as on a possible transmissibility to other species, including humans, are warranted.

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Efficacy of Active Immunization With Attenuated α-Hemolysin and Panton-Valentine Leukocidin in a Rabbit Model of Staphylococcus aureus Necrotizing Pneumonia

The Journal of Infectious Diseases ◽

10.1093/infdis/jiz437 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 221 (2) ◽

pp. 267-275 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Vuvi G Tran ◽

Arundhathi Venkatasubramaniam ◽

Rajan P Adhikari ◽

Subramaniam Krishnan ◽

Xing Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Staphylococcus Aureus ◽

Rabbit Model ◽

Active Immunization ◽

Necrotizing Pneumonia ◽

Lethal Challenge ◽

Severe Infections ◽

Staphylococcal Pneumonia ◽

Degrees Of Severity ◽

Panton Valentine Leukocidin ◽

Valentine Leukocidin

Abstract Staphylococcus aureus is a common pathogen causing infections in humans with various degrees of severity, with pneumonia being one of the most severe infections. In as much as staphylococcal pneumonia is a disease driven in large part by α-hemolysin (Hla) and Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL), we evaluated whether active immunization with attenuated forms of Hla (HlaH35L/H48L) alone, PVL components (LukS-PVT28F/K97A/S209A and LukF-PVK102A) alone, or combination of all 3 toxoids could prevent lethal challenge in a rabbit model of necrotizing pneumonia caused by the USA300 community-associated methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). Rabbits vaccinated with Hla toxoid alone or PVL components alone were only partially protected against lethal pneumonia, whereas those vaccinated with all 3 toxoids had 100% protection against lethality. Vaccine-mediated protection correlated with induction of polyclonal antibody response that neutralized not only α-hemolysin and PVL, but also other related toxins, produced by USA300 and other epidemic MRSA clones.

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Severe infections of Panton-Valentine leukocidin positive Staphylococcus aureus in children

Medicine ◽

10.1097/md.0000000000017185 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 98 (38) ◽

pp. e17185 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Pia-Alice Hoppe ◽

Susanne Holzhauer ◽

Birgit Lala ◽

Christoph Bührer ◽

Alexander Gratopp ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Staphylococcus Aureus ◽

Severe Infections ◽

Panton Valentine Leukocidin ◽

Valentine Leukocidin

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Prevalence of Staphylococcal Cassette Chromosome mec and Panton-Valentine Leukocidin Gene Amongst the Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus Strains Isolated From Fowl Meat

International Journal of Enteric Pathogens ◽

10.15171/ijep.2019.20 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 (3) ◽

pp. 93-98

Author(s):

Amirhossein Saadati ◽

Zohreh Mashak ◽

Mohammad Saeid Yarmand

Keyword(s):

Staphylococcus Aureus ◽

Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus ◽

Methicillin Resistant ◽

Polymerase Chain ◽

Mrsa Strains ◽

Susceptibility Tests ◽

Meat Samples ◽

Panton Valentine Leukocidin ◽

Valentine Leukocidin ◽

Staphylococcal Cassette Chromosome

Background: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is considered to be one of the most important causes of foodborne diseases. Objective: The current examination was performed to examine the distribution of staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) and Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) gene amongst the MRSA strains isolated from raw fowl meat samples. Materials and Methods: A total of 240 fowl meat samples were collected and cultured. MRSA strains were identified using cefoxitin and oxacillin susceptibility tests. DNA samples extracted from the MRSA strains were subjected to polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for detection of SCCmec and PVL gene. Results: Twenty-two out of 240 (9.16%) raw fowl meat samples were positive for S. aureus strains. Twelve out of 22 S. aureus strains (54.54%) were determined as MRSA strains. The incidence of MRSA strains in raw chicken, turkey, quail, and ostrich meat samples was 66.66%, 50%, 50%, and 33.33%, respectively. The incidence of SCCmec IVa, SCCmec IVd, and SCCmec V was 50%, 8.33% and 41.66%, respectively. The applied method failed to detect SCCmec types I, II, III, IVb, and IVc. The incidence of the PVL gene amongst the MRSA strains was 75%. Conclusion: The presence of SCCmec IV and SCCmec V and PVL gene revealed occurrence of community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA) in fowl meat samples. Further studies are required to find additional epidemiological aspects of the MRSA strains in fowl meat samples.

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