Alteration in the multiplication of Staphylococcus aureus by Enovid

1969 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 247-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. W. Yotis ◽  
J. M. Cummings

The widespread use of oral contraceptive drugs stimulated an assessment of one such compound for any effects on staphylococci. In vitro turbidimetric studies indicated that norethynodrel in therapeutic doses had a bacteriostatic action on the growth of staphylococci. When adult female mice received 2.5 μg norethynodrel and 1.2 μg mestranol intraperitoneally on each of 3 days before intravenous challenge with virulent staphylococci, the spleens and kidneys of the norethynodrel–mestranol (Enovid) treated mice contained one-half to one-third lower viable staphylococcal counts than those obtained from the same organs of the control mice. Furthermore, during the first several days after infection the Enovid-treated mice showed reduced mortality rates in comparison to those observed in the control mice. Thus, Enovid may affect the development of staphylococcal infections or chemical reactions governing the growth of staphylococci.

2004 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 218-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine O'Riordan ◽  
Jean C. Lee

SUMMARY Serotype 5 and 8 capsular polysaccharides predominate among clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus. The results of experiments in animal models of infection have revealed that staphylococcal capsules are important in the pathogenesis of S. aureus infections. The capsule enhances staphylococcal virulence by impeding phagocytosis, resulting in bacterial persistence in the bloodstream of infected hosts. S. aureus capsules also promote abscess formation in rats. Although the capsule has been shown to modulate S. aureus adherence to endothelial surfaces in vitro, animal studies suggest that it also promotes bacterial colonization and persistence on mucosal surfaces. S. aureus capsular antigens are surface associated, limited in antigenic specificity, and highly conserved among clinical isolates. With the emergence of vancomycin-resistant S. aureus in the United States in 2002, new strategies are needed to combat staphylococcal infections. Purified serotype 5 and 8 capsular polysaccharides offer promise as target antigens for a vaccine to prevent staphylococcal infections, although the inclusion of other antigens is likely to be essential in the development of an effective S. aureus vaccine. The genetics and mechanisms of capsule biosynthesis are complex, and much work remains to enhance our understanding of capsule biosynthesis and its regulation.


2013 ◽  
Vol 81 (7) ◽  
pp. 2554-2561 ◽  
Author(s):  
Quanyi Chen ◽  
Jay Dintaman ◽  
Andrew Lees ◽  
Goutam Sen ◽  
David Schwartz ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTStaphylococcal infections are a major source of global morbidity and mortality. Currently there exists no antistaphylococcal vaccine in clinical use. Previous animal studies suggested a possible role for purified lipoteichoic acid as a vaccine target for eliciting protective IgG to several Gram-positive pathogens. Since the highly conserved (poly)glycerolphosphate backbone of lipoteichoic acid is a major antigenic target of the humoral immune system during staphylococcal infections, we developed a synthetic method for producing glycerol phosphoramidites to create a covalent 10-mer of (poly)glycerolphosphate for potential use in a conjugate vaccine. We initially demonstrated that intactStaphylococcus aureuselicits murine CD4+T cell-dependent (poly)glycerolphosphate-specific IgM and IgG responsesin vivo. Naive mice immunized with a covalent conjugate of (poly)glycerolphosphate and tetanus toxoid in alum plus CpG-oligodeoxynucleotides produced high secondary titers of serum (poly)glycerolphosphate-specific IgG. Sera from immunized mice enhanced opsonophagocytic killing of liveStaphylococcus aureusin vitro. Mice actively immunized with the (poly)glycerolphosphate conjugate vaccine showed rapid clearance of staphylococcal bacteremiain vivorelative to mice similarly immunized with an irrelevant conjugate vaccine. In contrast to purified, natural lipoteichoic acid, the (poly)glycerolphosphate conjugate vaccine itself exhibited no detectable inflammatory activity. These data suggest that a synthetic (poly)glycerolphosphate-based conjugate vaccine will contribute to active protection against extracellular Gram-positive pathogens expressing this highly conserved backbone structure in their membrane-associated lipoteichoic acid.


2019 ◽  
Vol 201 (21) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shanti Pandey ◽  
Gyan S. Sahukhal ◽  
Mohamed O. Elasri

ABSTRACT Staphylococcus aureus has evolved a complex regulatory network that controls a multitude of defense mechanisms against the deleterious effects of oxidative stress stimuli, subsequently leading to the pathogen’s survival and persistence in the hosts. Previously, we characterized the msaABCR operon as a regulator of virulence, antibiotic resistance, and the formation of persister cells in S. aureus. Deletion of the msaABCR operon resulted in the downregulation of several genes involved in resistance against oxidative stress. Notably, those included carotenoid biosynthetic genes and the ohr gene, which is involved in resistance against organic hydroperoxides. These findings led us to hypothesize that the msaABCR operon is involved in resisting oxidative stress generated in the presence of both H2O2 and organic hydroperoxides. Here, we report that a protein product of the msaABCR operon (MsaB) transcriptionally regulates the expression of the crtOPQMN operon and the ohr gene to resist in vitro oxidative stresses. In addition to its direct regulation of the crtOPQMN operon and ohr gene, we also show that MsaB is the transcriptional repressor of sarZ (repressor of ohr). Taken together, these results suggest that the msaABCR operon regulates an oxidative stress defense mechanism, which is required to facilitate persistent and recurrent staphylococcal infections. Moving forward, we plan to investigate the role of msaABCR in the persistence of S. aureus under in vivo conditions. IMPORTANCE This study shows the involvement of the msaABCR operon in resisting oxidative stress by Staphylococcus aureus generated under in vitro and ex vivo conditions. We show that MsaB regulates the expression and production of a carotenoid pigment, staphyloxanthin, which is a potent antioxidant in S. aureus. We also demonstrate that MsaB regulates the ohr gene, which is involved in defending against oxidative stress generated by organic hydroperoxides. This study highlights the importance of msaABCR in the survival of S. aureus in the presence of various environmental stimuli that mainly exert oxidative stress. The findings from this study indicate the possibility that msaABCR is involved in the persistence of staphylococcal infections and therefore could be a potential antimicrobial target to overcome recalcitrant staphylococcal infections.


2001 ◽  
Vol 45 (11) ◽  
pp. 3076-3083 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. Entenza ◽  
Y. A. Que ◽  
J. Vouillamoz ◽  
M. P. Glauser ◽  
P. Moreillon

ABSTRACT The new 8-methoxyquinolone moxifloxacin was tested against two ciprofloxacin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus strains (strains P8 and COL) and two ciprofloxacin-resistant derivatives of strain P8 carrying a single grlA mutation (strain P8-4) and double grlA and gyrA mutations (strain P8-128). All strains were resistant to methicillin. The MICs of ciprofloxacin and moxifloxacin were 0.5 and 0.125 mg/liter, respectively, for P8; 0.25 and 0.125 mg/liter, respectively, for COL; 8 and 0.25 mg/liter, respectively, for P8-4; and ≥128 and 2 mg/liter, respectively, for P8-128. In vitro, the rate of spontaneous resistance of P8 and COL was 10−7 on agar plates containing ciprofloxacin at two times the MIC, whereas it was ≤10−10on agar plates containing moxifloxacin at two times the MIC. Rats with experimental aortic endocarditis were treated with doses of drugs that simulate the kinetics in humans: moxifloxacin, 400 mg orally once a day; ciprofloxacin, 750 mg orally twice a day; or vancomycin, 1 g intravenously twice a day. Treatment was started either 12 or 24 h after infection and lasted for 3 days. Moxifloxacin treatment resulted in culture-negative vegetations in a total of 20 of 21 (95%) rats infected with P8, 10 of 11 (91%) rats infected with COL, and 19 of 24 (79%) rats infected with P8-4 (P < 0.05 compared to the results for the controls). In contrast, ciprofloxacin treatment sterilized zero of nine (0%) vegetations infected with first-level resistant mutant P8-4. Vancomycin sterilized only 8 of 15 (53%), 6 of 11 (54%), and 12 of 23 (52%) of the vegetations, respectively. No moxifloxacin-resistant derivative emerged among these organisms. However, moxifloxacin treatment of highly ciprofloxacin-resistant mutant P8-128 failed and selected for variants for which the MIC increased two times in 2 of 10 animals. Thus, while oral moxifloxacin might deserve consideration as treatment for staphylococcal infections in humans, caution related to its use against strains for which MICs are borderline is warranted.


1965 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 263-271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Herbert Schriefers ◽  
Gerlinde Scharlau ◽  
Franzis Pohl

ABSTRACT After the administration of anabolic steroids to adult female rats in daily doses of 1 mg per animal for 14 days, the following parameters were investigated: the rate of the Δ4-5α-hydrogenase-catalyzed cortisone reduction in liver slices and microsomal fractions, the adrenal weight and the in vitro corticosterone production rate. Among the steroids tested, only 17α-methyl-testosterone and 17α-ethyl-19-nor-testosterone were effective in lowering significantly cortisone reduction rate by liver slices with concomitant decreases in microsomal Δ4-5α-hydrogenase-activity. Testosterone, 19-nor-testosterone, 17α-ethinyl-19-nor-testosterone, 17α-methyl-17β-hydroxy-androsta-1,4-dien-3-one and 1-methyl-17β-hydroxy-androst-1-en-3-one were ineffective or only slightly effective. Adrenal weight and absolute corticosterone production rate (μg/60 min per animal) were decreased after treatment with 17α-methyl-testosterone, 17α-ethyl-19-nor-testosterone and 1-methyl-17β-hydroxy-androst-1-en-3-one. Corticosterone production was decreased with 17α-ethinyl-19-nor-testosterone in spite of an unchanged adrenal weight. The relative corticosterone production rate (μg/60 min · 100 mg adrenal) was in any cases unaffected. According to these results there exists – with the exception of 17α-ethinyl-19-nor-testosterone – a strict parallelism between corticosteroid turnover and corticosterone production rate: unchanged turnover is correlated with unchanged corticosterone production rate, while a decreased turnover is correlated with decreased adrenal activity. The protein-anabolic effect of certain anabolic steroids may be partly due to an anti-catabolic action of these compounds resulting from a decreased corticosteroid inactivation and production rate. Possible mechanisms by which anabolic steroids may affect corticosteroid-balance are discussed.


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