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J. Clin. Microbiol. doi:10.1128/JCM.00204-07
Copyright (c) 2007, American Society for Microbiology and/or the Listed Authors/Institutions. All Rights Reserved.

Clonal distribution of superantigen genes in clinical S. aureus isolates

Institute for Immunology and Transfusion Medicine, University of Greifswald, Germany; Dept. Microbiology & Immunology, Pomeranian Medical University, Sczcecin, Poland; Friedrich-Loeffler Institute for Medical Microbiology, University of Greifswald, Germany; National Reference Center for Staphylococci, Wernigerode, Germany

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: broeker{at}uni-greifswald.de.

	Abstract

Staphylococcus aureus is both a successful human commensal and a major pathogen. The elucidation of the molecular determinants of virulence, in particular the assessment of the contributions of the genetic background versus those of mobile genetic elements (MGEs), has proved difficult in this variable species. To address this, we have simultaneously determined the genetic background (spa-typing) and the distribution of all 19 known superantigens and the exfoliative toxins A and D (multiplex PCR) as markers for MGEs. Methicillin sensitive S. aureus strains from Pomerania, 107 nasal and 88 blood culture isolates, were investigated. All superantigen-encoding MGEs were linked more or less tightly to the genetic background. Thus, each S. aureus clonal complex was characterised by a typical repertoire of superantigen and exfoliative toxin genes. However, within each S. aureus clonal complex and even within the same spa-type, virulence gene profiles varied remarkably. Therefore, virulence genes of nasal and blood culture isolates were separately compared in each clonal complex. The results indicated a role in infection for the MGE harbouring the exfoliative toxin D gene. In contrast, there was no association of superantigen genes with blood stream invasion. In summary, we show here that the simultaneous assessment of virulence gene profiles and the genetic background increases the discriminatory power of genetic investigations into the mechanisms of S. aureus pathogenesis.

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