scholarly journals Expression of icaA and icaD genes in biofilm formation in Staphylococcus aureus isolates from bovine subclinical mastitis

2021 ◽  
Vol 41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Viviane F. Marques ◽  
Huarrisson A. Santos ◽  
Thomas H. Santos ◽  
Dayanne A. Melo ◽  
Shana M.O. Coelho ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT: Staphylococcus spp. plays a significant role in the etiology of bovine mastitis. Staphylococcus aureus is considered the most important species due to the high prevalence and the difficulty of in vivo treatment that is related to the expression of virulence factors and biofilm formation. This study aimed to detect the phenotypic expression of the biofilm formation in 20 S. aureus isolated from bovine mastitis and to evaluate the expression and regulation of genes involved in its production. MALDI-TOF and phenogenotypic identification assays were performed to characterize the isolates. The phenotypic biofilm production and the presence of icaA and icaD and bap genes were evaluated. The Agr system was typified (agr I, agr II, agr III and agr IV) and its regulator (agr RNAIII) was detected. Furtherly, Real-time PCR (qPCR) was performed at chosen times to quantify the expression of icaA, icaD and hld genes in three selected isolates. All 20 strains were biofilm producers and most presented icaA and icaD genes. Only one isolate presented the bap gene. The agr gene type II showed a prevalence of 70%. Transcriptional analysis revealed increased expression of ica genes at eight hours of growth. These results confirm that polysaccharides production mediated by the icaADBC operon genes is an essential mechanism to the biofilm formation and contributes to the early stages of bacterial growth.

2022 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 901-910
Author(s):  
Lilian Bernardina Ferreira ◽  
◽  
Larissa de Freitas Santiago Israel ◽  
Renata Fernandes Rabello ◽  
Guilherme Nunes de Souza ◽  
...  

Staphylococcus bacteria are often associated with subclinical bovine mastitis. This study aimed to identify multiresistant Staphylococcus spp. associated with subclinical mastitis and the associated risk factors. Twenty-three dairy farms with a history of decrease in milk production, located in the lower Acre region, Brazil, were selected. An epidemiological questionnaire was provided in all farms. All animals were examined using the California Mastitis Test (CMT) and their milk samples were collected for bacterial culture. After isolation and identification, the disk diffusion antimicrobial susceptibility test was performed against nine classes of antimicrobials. Of the 339 cows examined using the CMT, 108 had mastitis. A total of 229 milk samples were collected from individual teats. MALDI-TOF MS found isolates belonging to eight species of Staphylococcus, in 101 of these samples. S. chromogenes (58.4%) demonstrated strongest resistance to the nine classes of antimicrobial active principles. Nineteen isolates with multidrug resistance phenotypic profile were identified. This phenotypic expression indicates wide circulation of resistant genes in this species. The presence of multidrug resistance in Staphylococcus spp. in this study was correlated with lack of water for cleaning the corral, which is a preventive factor, minimizing the transmission and persistence of pathogens in the farms.


2019 ◽  
Vol 70 (2) ◽  
pp. 1511
Author(s):  
Α. OREIBY ◽  
H. KHALIFA ◽  
A. EID ◽  
A. AHMED ◽  
T. SHIMAMOTO ◽  
...  

This study targeted Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus)-mastitis of bovine as a possible source of livestock-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), to describe clinical signs of mastitis associated with MRSA and methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA). The study area was the Gharbia and Kafrelsheikh governorates, in the central and northern regions of the Egyptian Delta. Clinical examination of animals was performed to detect clinical mastitis (CM) and clinically normal cases were tested by the California mastitis test (CMT) to identify subclinical mastitis (SCM). Accordingly, 38 mastitis cases (68 infected quarters) were detected. Milk samples were collected aseptically and were cultured on Baird Parker agar. Fifty nine Gram-positive cocci-shaped isolates were selected and preserved. In addition, 33 Staphylococcus spp. isolates originated from bovine mastitis at the same study area were obtained from Animal Health Research Institute (AHRI). The cocci-shaped Gram-positive bacteria and AHRI Staphylococcus spp. isolates were used for molecular identification of S. aureus and MRSA. Molecular screening had yielded 17 S. aureus isolates, from which five isolates (29.41%) were MRSA and 12 isolates (70.59%) were MSSA. The five MRSA isolates were mecA positive, but mecC negative. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) of the five MRSA isolates indicated that all were sequence type 1 (ST1). S. aureus-associated cases showed different clinical forms of mastitis, including subclinical, acute, chronic, and gangrenous. However, subclinical mastitis was the only detected form associated with MRSA, which may represent a potential hidden risk for humans. Phenotypic antimicrobial resistance pattern of MRSA isolates showed resistance to all of the tested β-lactam antimicrobials, with marked orgaresistance to tetracycline and gentamycin. Based on our knowledge, this is the first report to identify MRSA ST1 in Egypt. Bovine mastitis could be a source for the dissemination of MRSA to humans and other animals. Additionally,while methicillin-resistance may have no effect on the clinical severity of mastitis, it does affect therapeutic success, particularly when β-lactam antimicrobials are used.


2004 ◽  
Vol 72 (4) ◽  
pp. 2177-2185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carme Cucarella ◽  
M. Ángeles Tormo ◽  
Carles Úbeda ◽  
M. Pilar Trotonda ◽  
Marta Monzón ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Staphylococcus aureus is a common cause of intramammary infections, which frequently become chronic, associated with the ability of the bacteria to produce biofilm. Here, we report a relationship between the ability to produce chronic bovine mastitis and biofilm formation. We have classified bovine mastitis S. aureus isolates into three groups based on the presence of particular genetic elements required for biofilm formation: group 1 (ica + bap +), group 2 (ica +, bap negative), and group 3 (ica negative, bap negative). Overall, animals naturally infected with group 1 and 2 isolates had a lower milk somatic cell count than those infected with isolates of group 3. In addition, Bap-positive isolates were significantly more able to colonize and persist in the bovine mammary gland in vivo and were less susceptible to antibiotic treatments when forming biofilms in vitro. Analysis of the structural bap gene revealed the existence of alternate forms of expression of the Bap protein in S. aureus isolates obtained under field conditions throughout the animal's life. The presence of anti-Bap antibodies in serum samples taken from animals with confirmed S. aureus infections indicated the production of Bap during infection. Furthermore, disruption of the ica operon in a bap-positive strain had no effect on in vitro biofilm formation, a finding which strongly suggested that Bap could compensate for the deficiency of the PIA/PNAG product (a biofilm matrix polysaccharide). Altogether, these results demonstrate that, in the bovine intramammary gland, the presence of Bap may facilitate a biofilm formation connected with the persistence of S. aureus.


2015 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 787-792 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Seixas ◽  
D. Varanda ◽  
R. Bexiga ◽  
L. Tavares ◽  
M. Oliveira

AbstractStaphylococcusis the genus most commonly isolated from bovine mastitis in many countries. It may express several virulence factors including biofilm formation, which may protect the bacterial community from antimicrobials’ action, preventing these compounds from reaching its interior, where they reach subinhibitory concentrations (subMIC).Most biofilm production assays are performed in static conditions, while studies regarding antimicrobial resistance usually do not resemble the udder environment because they are performed at high concentrations. In this study we evaluated the influence of dynamic conditions and media, including Mueller Hinton Broth (MHB) and UHT whole milk (WM), as well as the effect of subMIC concentrations of five different antimicrobial agents on biofilm formation by staphylococci isolated from subclinical mastitis. Results suggest that dynamic conditions and media may influence biofilm formation and revealed that milking simulation may significantly increase biofilm production. Sub-MIC concentrations decrease biofilm formation in MHB but increase in WM, suggesting a protective role of milk against antimicrobial compounds’ action. Therefore,in vitroconditions that simulate the udder environment andin vivoconditions should be included as one of the parameters in evaluation of biofilm producing strains, in order to provide more reliable results.


Antibiotics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 888
Author(s):  
Priscila Luiza Mello ◽  
Danilo Flávio Moraes Riboli ◽  
Lisiane de Almeida Martins ◽  
Maria Aparecida Vasconcelos Paiva Brito ◽  
Cassiano Victória ◽  
...  

Bovine mastitis is mainly caused by bacteria of the genus Staphylococcus spp., which possess different virulence factors, including the capacity for biofilm formation that provides enhanced protection against the action of immune system components and serves as a barrier against the penetration of antimicrobial agents. This study aimed to characterize 181 Staphylococcus spp. Strains—including Staphylococcusaureus and coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) isolated from bovine subclinical mastitis in six Brazilian states—by molecular methods. RT-qPCR was used to verify the expression of genes of the ica operon—mainly responsible for biofilm formation—as well as bap and bhp. Chromosome similarity among the isolates was investigated by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). The icaA gene was detected in 79 (43.6%) isolates, icaB in 24 (13.2%), icaC in 57 (31.4%), and icaD in 127 (70.1%). The bap gene was identified in 66 (36.4%) isolates, while the bhp gene was found in nine (4.9%). RT-qPCR confirmed the expression of the icaA gene in 60 (75.9%) isolates, of icaB in six (25%), of icaC in 26 (45.6%), and of icaD in 80 (63%). Clonal typing of the isolates by PFGE permitted the identification of eight Staphylococcusaureus clusters that simultaneously included ≥3 strains, with a similarity of ≥80%. Regarding the other species studied, three clusters were observed for Staphylococcuschromogenes and four clusters for Staphylococcusepidermidis. Only one cluster each was identified for Staphylococcussaprophyticus and Staphylococcussimulans, while the other species did not form any cluster. With respect to MLST, ST126 and ST1 were the prevalent sequence types in S. aureus, while in S.epidermidis all sequence types were different. These results reveal strains with the same evolutionary origin as other isolates, which might cause infections in humans and animals, suggesting their ability to spread between these species.


2011 ◽  
Vol 80 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chen Li ◽  
Kurniyati ◽  
Bo Hu ◽  
Jiang Bian ◽  
Jianlan Sun ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTThe oral bacteriumPorphyromonas gingivalisis a key etiological agent of human periodontitis, a prevalent chronic disease that affects up to 80% of the adult population worldwide.P. gingivalisexhibits neuraminidase activity. However, the enzyme responsible for this activity, its biochemical features, and its role in the physiology and virulence ofP. gingivalisremain elusive. In this report, we found thatP. gingivalisencodes a neuraminidase, PG0352 (SiaPg). Transcriptional analysis showed thatPG0352is monocistronic and is regulated by a sigma70-like promoter. Biochemical analyses demonstrated that SiaPgis an exo-α-neuraminidase that cleaves glycosidic-linked sialic acids. Cryoelectron microscopy and tomography analyses revealed that thePG0352deletion mutant (ΔPG352) failed to produce an intact capsule layer. Compared to the wild type,in vitrostudies showed that ΔPG352 formed less biofilm and was less resistant to killing by the host complement.In vivostudies showed that while the wild type caused a spreading type of infection that affected multiple organs and all infected mice were killed, ΔPG352 only caused localized infection and all animals survived. Taken together, these results demonstrate that SiaPgis an important virulence factor that contributes to the biofilm formation, capsule biosynthesis, and pathogenicity ofP. gingivalis, and it can potentially serve as a new target for developing therapeutic agents againstP. gingivalisinfection.


2001 ◽  
Vol 69 (6) ◽  
pp. 4079-4085 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah E. Cramton ◽  
Martina Ulrich ◽  
Friedrich Götz ◽  
Gerd Döring

ABSTRACT Products of the intercellular adhesion (ica) operon in Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis synthesize a linear β-1,6-linked glucosaminylglycan. This extracellular polysaccharide mediates bacterial cell-cell adhesion and is required for biofilm formation, which is thought to increase the virulence of both pathogens in association with prosthetic biomedical implants. The environmental signal(s) that triggers ica gene product and polysaccharide expression is unknown. Here we demonstrate that anaerobic in vitro growth conditions lead to increased polysaccharide expression in both S. aureus and S. epidermidis, although the regulation is less stringent inS. epidermidis. Anaerobiosis also dramatically stimulates ica-specific mRNA expression inica- and polysaccharide-positive strains of both S. aureus and S. epidermidis.These data suggest a mechanism whereby ica gene expression and polysaccharide production may act as a virulence factor in an anaerobic environment in vivo.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (16) ◽  
pp. 8840
Author(s):  
Katharina Mayer ◽  
Martin Kucklick ◽  
Helene Marbach ◽  
Monika Ehling-Schulz ◽  
Susanne Engelmann ◽  
...  

Within-host adaptation is a typical feature of chronic, persistent Staphylococcus aureus infections. Research projects addressing adaptive changes due to bacterial in-host evolution increase our understanding of the pathogen’s strategies to survive and persist for a long time in various hosts such as human and bovine. In this study, we investigated the adaptive processes of S. aureus during chronic, persistent bovine mastitis using a previously isolated isogenic strain pair from a dairy cow with chronic, subclinical mastitis, in which the last variant (host-adapted, Sigma factor SigB-deficient) quickly replaced the initial, dominant variant. The strain pair was cultivated under specific in vitro infection-relevant growth-limiting conditions (iron-depleted RPMI under oxygen limitation). We used a combinatory approach of surfaceomics, molecular spectroscopic fingerprinting and in vitro phenotypic assays. Cellular cytotoxicity assays using red blood cells and bovine mammary epithelial cells (MAC-T) revealed changes towards a more cytotoxic phenotype in the host-adapted isolate with an increased alpha-hemolysin (α-toxin) secretion, suggesting an improved capacity to penetrate and disseminate the udder tissue. Our results foster the hypothesis that within-host evolved SigB-deficiency favours extracellular persistence in S. aureus infections. Here, we provide new insights into one possible adaptive strategy employed by S. aureus during chronic, bovine mastitis, and we emphasise the need to analyse genotype–phenotype associations under different infection-relevant growth conditions.


2020 ◽  
Vol 48 ◽  
Author(s):  
Érica Chaves Lucio ◽  
Gisele Veneroni Gouveia ◽  
Mateus Matiuzzi Da Costa ◽  
Mário Baltazar De Oliveira ◽  
Rinaldo Aparecido Mota ◽  
...  

Background: Bovine mastitis remains one of the health problems that cause the most damage to milk producers. The negative impact of mastitis is due to reduced milk production, early slaughter of females, reduced commercial value of the affected animals, losses in the genetic potential of the herd, expenses with medicines and veterinary medical assistance. Staphylococcus spp. stands out as the cause of this disease and has been able to remain in the mammary gland, becoming resistant to several antimicrobials. The aims of the present study were to characterize the phenotypes, genotypes and resistance profiles of Staphylococcus spp. isolates from bovine mastitis cases in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil.Materials, Methods & Results: These isolates were classified according to biochemical tests and the presence of the nuc gene.  The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for amplification of the mecA and blaZ genes was used to analyze the genetic potentials of antimicrobial resistance. Isolates were also phenotypically tested for resistance to nine antimicrobials (ampicillin, doxicillin, erythromycin, gentamicin, rifampicin, cephalothin, amoxicillin, nalidixic acid and oxacillin). The genetic potentials for biofilm production were evaluated by the amplifications of the icaD, icaA and bap genes. The phenotypic test of gentian violet was used for biofilm formation analyzes. Ninety-three (93.0%) of the isolates among the Staphylococcus spp. samples were classified as Staphylococcus aureus. The lowest percentage of sensitivity observed was for amoxicillin (28.0%). All of the isolates were sensitive to erythromycin and gentamicin, and 15 (15%) exhibited sensitivity to all of the drugs tested. All of the isolates were negative for the mecA gene, and 36 (36%) were positive for blaZ. In the adhesion microplate tests, 44 (44%) of the isolates were capable of biofilm formation. Of these, seven (15.9%) were strong formers, whereas 16 (36.3%) and 21 (47.8%) were moderate and weak formers, respectively. The icaD gene was confirmed in 89 (89%) of the isolates. The icaA gene was confirmed in 61 (61%) samples, and the bap gene in 52 (52%) samples. One of the samples did not possess icaA, icaD or bap and exhibited moderate biofilm formation according to the microplate adherence test. Sixteen isolates simultaneously exhibited the three genes tested for biofilm production (icaA, icaD and bap) and were negative according to the microplate adherence test.Discussion:  The indiscriminate use of antibiotics to treat mastitis is a common practice in the study area, which may have contributed to the high proportion of herds (88.23%; 15/17) with multi-resistant isolates, constituting a selection factor for the dissemination of resistant bacteria among herds.  The absence of the mecA gene in the present study may be associated with the development of resistant bacteria through another mechanism, such as the overproduction of beta-lactamases. The results demonstrate that antimicrobial resistance occurs in Staphylococcus spp. that cause bovine mastitis in herds of Pernambuco and that these isolates have the a great capacity for biofilm formation. It is necessary to sensitize the professionals involved in the milk production chain of Brazil regarding the importance of the adequate use of antimicrobials for the treatment and control of mastitis, since studies in the country indicate the dissemination of resistant bacterial strains.


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