scholarly journals Toxigenicity in Staphylococcus aureus and Coagulase-Negative Staphylococci: Epidemiological and Molecular Aspects

2008 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. MBI.S796 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cunha ◽  
R.A.O. Calsolari

Representatives of the Staphylococcus genus are the most common pathogens found in hospital environments, and they are etiological agents for a large variety of infections. Various virulence factors are responsible for the symptoms and severity of infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus. Among them are staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs), which cause staphylococcal food poisoning, and toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1). Some reports indicate that TSST-1 and staphylococcal enterotoxins are also produced by coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS). The present review aimed to discuss general aspects of staphylococcal toxins as well as the epidemiology, genetics and detection of toxins in Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase-negative staphylococci, since these microorganisms are becoming more and more frequent in nosocomial infections.

Pathogens ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 734
Author(s):  
Wioleta Chajęcka-Wierzchowska ◽  
Joanna Gajewska ◽  
Patryk Wiśniewski ◽  
Anna Zadernowska

Although coagulase-positive staphylococci are considered to be the main factor responsible for food poisoning, an increasing role for the coagulase-negative staphylococci in the production of enterotoxins has been observed in recent years. This study was conducted to assess the occurrence of genes responsible for the production of staphylococcal enterotoxins (SE), enterotoxin-like toxins (SEI) and toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1) in coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) isolated from ready-to-eat food from bars and restaurants. One hundred and eighteen CoNS strains were tested using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to five superantigenic toxin genes, including five different types of classical enterotoxins (sea, seb, sec, sed and see) and the toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (tsst-1) as well as to supertoxin-like genes. PCR-positive isolates were then tested using immunoenzymatic methods (SET-RPLA, Vidas SET 2) for toxin expression. Out of 118 CoNS strains, the presence of staphylococcal enterotoxins was confirmed in 72% of them. The most frequently found enterotoxin-like genotype was ser, selu. Two of the tested strains had up to ten different enterotoxin genes in the genome at the same time. Although no production of enterotoxins was detected in the CoNS, which means that their possible role in the epidemiology of food-borne diseases is minimal, the data demonstrated that the toxigenic capacity of the CoNS should not be ignored, and that this group of microorganisms should be continuously monitored in food.


1999 ◽  
Vol 37 (10) ◽  
pp. 3411-3414 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven R. Monday ◽  
Gregory A. Bohach

Staphylococcus aureus may contain one or more genes that encode a variety of immunomodulatory pyrogenic toxins (PTs), including the staphylococcal enterotoxins and toxic shock syndrome toxin (TSST). The PTs interact with several cellular targets to produce disease, such as food poisoning and toxic shock syndrome. At present, nine serologically distinct enterotoxins and one immunoreactive form of TSST have been identified and characterized. As isolates of S. aureus are further assessed, it is anticipated that this number will increase. To facilitate screening, a multiplex PCR was designed to simultaneously determine which of these 10 currently known PT genes an individualS. aureus isolate possesses. We show here, using S. aureus isolates with characterized PT phenotypes, that this novel PCR technique reliably detects each of the known PTs in a single reaction.


2000 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin M. Dinges ◽  
Paul M. Orwin ◽  
Patrick M. Schlievert

SUMMARY This article reviews the literature regarding the structure and function of two types of exotoxins expressed by Staphylococcus aureus, pyrogenic toxin superantigens (PTSAgs) and hemolysins. The molecular basis of PTSAg toxicity is presented in the context of two diseases known to be caused by these exotoxins: toxic shock syndrome and staphylococcal food poisoning. The family of staphylococcal PTSAgs presently includes toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1) and most of the staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) (SEA, SEB, SEC, SED, SEE, SEG, and SEH). As the name implies, the PTSAgs are multifunctional proteins that invariably exhibit lethal activity, pyrogenicity, superantigenicity, and the capacity to induce lethal hypersensitivity to endotoxin. Other properties exhibited by one or more staphylococcal PTSAgs include emetic activity (SEs) and penetration across mucosal barriers (TSST-1). A detailed review of the molecular mechanisms underlying the toxicity of the staphylococcal hemolysins is also presented.


2013 ◽  
Vol 65 (5) ◽  
pp. 1537-1544 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.A. Carvalho ◽  
L.S. Carmo ◽  
E.F. Abreu ◽  
R.S. Dias ◽  
A.C.M. Apolônio ◽  
...  

The production of Toxic Shock Syndrome Toxin-1 (TSST-1), enterotoxins and bacteriocin-like substances was evaluated in 95 strains of Staphylococcus aureus recovered from raw bovine milk (n=31) and from food samples involved in staphylococcal food poisoning (n=64). Enterotoxigenicity tests with the membrane over agar associated to optimal sensibility plate assays were performed and showed that 96.77% of strains recovered from milk and 95.31% from food samples produced enterotoxins A, B, C, D or TSST-1. Reference strains S. epidermidis, Bacillus cereus, Listeria monocytogenes, Lactobacillus casei, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, S. aureus, Salmonella Typhimurium, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis and Bacteroides fragilis were used as indicator bacteria in the antagonistic assays, the first five being sensitive to antagonistic substances. Brain heart infusion agar, in pH values ranging from 5.0 to 7.0 in aerobic atmosphere showed to be the optimum condition for antagonistic activity as evaluated with the best producer strains against the most sensitive indicator bacterium, L. monocytogenes. Sensitivity to enzymes confirmed the proteinaceous nature of these substances. Neither bacteriophage activity nor fatty acids were detected and the antagonistic activity was not due to residual chloroform. Results did not establish a positive correlation between the bacteriocinogenic profile and toxigenicity in the tested S. aureus strains.


2000 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 479-488 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. McLAUCHLIN ◽  
G. L. NARAYANAN ◽  
V. MITHANI ◽  
G. O'NEILL

A simple polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based procedure was developed for the detection of fragments of staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) SEA, SEB, SEC, SED, SEE, SEG, SEH, and SEI together with the toxic shock syndrome toxin (TSST-1) genes of Staphylococcus aureus. One hundred and twenty-nine cultures of S. aureus were selected, 39 of which were recovered from 38 suspected staphylococcal food-poisoning incidents. The method was reproducible, and 32 different toxin genotypes were recognized. The presence of SE genes was associated with S. aureus strains reacting with phages in group III, and the TSST-1 gene with phages in group I. There was a 96% agreement between the PCR results for detection of SEA–D and TSST-1 as compared with a commercial reverse passive latex agglutination assay for the detection of SEs from cultures grown in vitro. Enterotoxin gene fragments were detected in S. aureus cultures recovered from 32 of the 38 suspected staphylococcal food poisoning incidents, and of these, 17 were associated with SEE, SEG, SEH, and SEI in the absence of SEA–D. Simple PCR procedures were also developed for the detection of SE directly in spiked food samples, and this was most successfully achieved in mushroom soup and ham. Detection was less successful in three types of cheese and in cream. SEA or SEB were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in three food samples (two of which were associated with food poisoning incidents) naturally heavily contaminated with S. aureus: the appropriate SEA or SEB gene fragments were detected directly in these three foods by PCR.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Heba M. Elsherif ◽  
Zeinab H. Helal ◽  
Mona R. El-Ansary ◽  
Zeinab A. Fahmy ◽  
Wafaa N. Eltayeb ◽  
...  

Purpose. Infective endocarditis (IE) is a major complication in patients with bacteremia of Staphylococcus (S.) aureus infection. Our aim was to determine the association of the major Staphylococcal superantigens (SAgs), including Staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) and toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1), among hospitalized patients diagnosed with bacteremia and those with IE. Methods. This study was conducted on 88 patients; of these, 84 (95.5%) had two positive blood cultures. Eighteen out of the 84 patients (21.4%) were diagnosed based on the modified Duke criteria by a cardiologist to have IE. The recovered isolates were screened phenotypically using ELISA followed by molecular analysis of sea, seb, sec, sed, see, and tsst-1, the major SAg coding genes, and the obtained findings were statistically analyzed. Results. Phenotypic screening for SE production of 26 selected Staphylococci (15 isolated from the IE patients (10 S. aureus and 5 coagulase negative staphylococci (CoNS)) and 11 from bacteremic patients (10 S. aureus and 1 CoNS)) using ELISA revealed that 12/26 (46%) isolates were SE producers. PCR analysis showed that 19 (73%) isolates were PCR positive for SAg genes with the highest prevalence of the sea gene (79%), followed by seb (63%) and tsst-1 (21%). The least frequent gene was sed (5.3%). Statistical correlations between bacteremic and IE isolates with respect to prevalence of SAgs showed no significant difference ( P value = 0.139, effect size = 0.572 ) indicating no specific association between any of the detected SAgs and IE. Conclusion. There is high prevalence of SEs among clinical isolates of Staphylococci recovered from patients suffering bacteremia and those with IE. No significant difference was found among Staphylococcal isolates recovered from patients with bacteremia or IE regarding both phenotypic and genotypic detection of the tested SAgs.


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