Purification and characterization of protease produced by Staphylococcus aureus isolated from a diseased chicken.

A protease produced by Staphylococcus aureus, isolated from a chicken suffering from dermatitis, was purified by successive precipitation with ammonium sulfate, ion-exchange chromatography on Q-Sepharose FF, Sp-Sepharose FF and Mono-Q columns. By Mono-Q column chromatography, two proteases (protease 1 and 2) were obtained. The molecular weights of protease 1 and 2 were estimated at 23.1 and 22.7 kDa, respectively, by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Their isoelectric points were 5.85 and 5.55, respectively, and they possessed antigenic similarity when examined by the immunoblotting. The N-terminal amino acid sequences of both the proteases were identical (RAQYVNQLKNFKIRETQ). The activities of both the proteases were strongly increased by reducing agents such as L-cysteine and sodium thioglycolate. Their activity was inhibited by thiol protease inhibitors, but was not inhibited by metalloprotease or serine protease inhibitors. From the results, it seems likely that these proteases, produced by S. aureus from diseased chickens, might belong to the thiol protease group.     

Activation mechanism of thiol protease precursor from broiler chicken specific Staphylococcus aureus strain CH-91

Staphylococcus aureus strain CH-91 isolated from chicken dermatitis lesions produces large quantities of thiol protease implicated in disease formation. Observed overproduction requires efficient activation of the protease precursor which mechanism is studied here in detail. Wild type and mutant precursor forms are expressed in E. coli to test different hypotheses on the activation process. It is demonstrated that wild type precursor undergoes rapid autocatalytic processing whereas proteolytically inactive catalytic triad cysteine mutant (C₂₄₉A) of the precursor is stable, but can be processed by minute quantities of active protease. It is concluded that limited intramolecular proteolysis is mainly responsible for efficient activation but, a positive feedback loop also contributes to the process. Both activation pathways allow efficient production of mature extracellular thiol protease, a putative virulence factor specific for avian strains of S. aureus.     

牛源金黄色葡萄球菌凝固酶基因的分型

为了了解我国不同地区奶牛场金黄色葡萄球菌基因型的分布情况,采用凝固酶基因（Coa）扩增的分型方法,对在奶牛乳房炎奶样中所分离到的26株金黄色葡萄球菌进行了分型。结果显示,26株金黄色葡萄球菌共分为5个基因型,黑龙江省分离株以PCR 3型为主（10/16）。发现在同一牛群中的分离株可以存在相同的基因型,也可以存在不同的基因型;而不同牛群中的分离株也可属于同一基因型。这种结果提示,在某个或某些牛群中存在某一金黄色葡萄球菌的流行型,但也可能存在多个金黄色葡萄球菌的克隆。     

Characterization of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated from retail raw chicken meat in Japan

Two isolates of mecA-positive methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) from retail raw chicken meat were characterized by phenotypic and genotypic methods. One isolate showed the human biovar, coagulase type III, phage group I * III, the lack of production of enterotoxins and TSST-1, and resistance to PCG/ABPC/EM/GM/KM. The other isolate showed the human biovar, coagulase type III, phage group III, production of enterotoxin C and TSST-1, and resistance to PCG/ABPC/CEZ. The biotyping results indicate that the two isolates showed characteristics of human S. aureus. They also harbored SCCmec type IV, which has prevalently been found in community-acquired MRSA isolates. This paper is the first publication regarding MRSA isolates from raw chicken meat in Japan.     

Heterogeneity of methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus pseudintermedius strains isolated from diseased dogs

Thirty nine canine S. pseudintermedius strains were examined for antibiotic susceptibility and genetic polymorphisms. All strains were methicillin-sensitive S. pseudintermedius (MSSP). Resistance to penicillin was most prevalent (66.6%), followed by resistance to neomycin (56.4%), erythromycin (53.8%), clindamycin (48.7%), chloramphenicol (48.7%), and tetracycline (46.2%). Pulsed-field electrophoresis (PFGE) showed a high genetic polymorphism in the investigated strains.     

Antimicrobial susceptibility of Staphylococcus intermedius isolated from healthy and diseased dogs

A total of 90 strains of Staphylococcus intermedius isolated from dogs were examined for antimicrobial susceptibility. There were no significant differences in the distribution patterns of MICs between strains from 1982 to 1985 and those from 1999, and between strains from healthy dogs and those from diseased dogs. All of the strains were susceptible to ABPC, DMPPC, CEX, TDM, ERFX, BFLX, and FF at concentrations of 0.05 to 6.25 microg/ml. The MICs of OTC, KM, EM, AIV-TS, and LCM were distributed in a broad range of 0.1 to >100 microg/ml, indicating the existence of resistant as well as susceptible populations of S. intermedius. Thirty-three strains (36.7%) were resistant to one or more anitmicrobial agents such as OTC (n=32), KM (n=9), EM (n=7), AIV-TS (n=7), and LCM (n=7).     

Antimicrobial susceptibility of Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus pseudintermedius isolated from various animals

This study characterized the antimicrobial susceptibility of 221 Staphylococcus aureus isolated from various species, and 60 canine Staphylococcus pseudintermedius isolated from 1986 through 2000 at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM). Resistance of S. aureus was most common to penicillin (31%) and tetracycline (14%); resistance of S. pseudintermedius to penicillin was present in 8% and to tetracycline in 34% of isolates. Resistance to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole was only seen among S. pseudintermedius, and there was no resistance to amoxicillin/clavulanate, ampicillin/sulbactam, cephalothin, amikacin, gentamicin, enrofloxacin, chloramphenicol, or rifampin among any isolate. Inducible clindamycin resistance was found in both S. aureus and S. pseudintermedius, highlighting the need for careful interpretation of culture and susceptibility test results. There were significant differences in the minimum inhibitory concentrations of penicillin, ciprofloxacin, enrofloxacin, clindamycin, erythromycin, chloramphenicol, and tetracycline between avian, bovine, equine, and porcine isolates.     

Coagulase gene polymorphisms detected by PCR in Staphylococcus aureus isolated from subclinical bovine mastitis in Turkey

The genetic relatedness of coagulase (coa) positive Staphylococcus aureus isolated from cows with subclinical mastitis in Turkey was investigated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. Among 700 milk samples positive in the California Mastitis Test (CMT), species specific PCR identified 200 (28.6%) isolates as S. aureus and 161 (80.5%) of these isolates were positive for the 3' end of the coa gene by PCR. Most isolates (n=135, 83.9%) produced a single band on coa PCR, with molecular sizes ranging from 500 to 1400bp, whereas a small number of isolates (n=26, 16.1%) yielded two amplification products. Coa RFLP analysis using AluI and Hin6I revealed 23 and 22 band patterns, respectively. The detection of double bands by coa PCR, previously reported in human isolates, suggests that milking personnel can play a role in the transmission of S. aureus.     

Coagulase gene typing of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from cows with mastitis in southeastern Brazil

A typing procedure based on polymorphism of the coagulase gene (coa) was used to discriminate Staphylococcus aureus isolated from Minas Gerais dairy cows with mastitis. Amplification of the gene from the 64 S. aureus isolates produced 27 different polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products; 60 isolates showed only 1 amplicon, and 4 showed 2 amplicons. The isolates were grouped into 49 types by analyzing the restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of the coa gene; the 10 most common types accounted for 39% of the isolates. The results demonstrate that many variants of the coa gene are present in the studied region, although only a few predominate.     

Genotyping of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from bovine mastitis.

The present study was designed to comparatively investigate 25 Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from bovine subclinical mastitis. The S. aureus strains, obtained from six different farms at five locations in one region of Germany, were characterized by phenotypic and genotypic methods. The S. aureus could be identified and further characterized by their cultural, biochemical and hemolytic properties. To analyze the epidemiological relationship the isolates were subjected to DNA fingerprinting by macrorestriction analysis of their chromosomal DNA, by PCR amplification of the gene encoding the 16S-23S rRNA intergenic spacer, by PCR amplification of the gene encoding the IgG binding region and the X region of protein A and by amplifying, and subsequent, digestion of the gene encoding staphylococcal coagulase. The macrorestriction analysis revealed five DNA restriction patterns with DNA patterns I, III and IV occurring in three, four, and three different farms, respectively. In addition, clones with different DNA patterns could be found within one herd. The PCR products for the spacer DNA, the spa gene encoding the X region of protein A and the coa gene encoding coagulase corresponded mostly to the pattern observed by DNA fingerprinting. Amplification of the gene encoding the IgG binding region revealed sizes of 620 bp for 20 of the isolates and 280 bp for four isolates indicating, for the latter, a deletion of segments in this region. These findings show, that single, widely distributed clones seemed to be responsible for cases of bovine subclinical mastitis found in one region of Germany.     

Surface properties of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from caprine mastitis

A total of 53 Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from caprine mastitis were tested for surface hydrophobicity, surface Protein A (SpA), and binding capacity of fibronectin, fibrinogen and type II collagen. Strong positive correlation was found between surface hydrophobicity and SpA, and between surface hydrophobicity and 125I-fibronectin-binding. Regardless of hydrophobicity, the binding of fibrinogen was moderate and type II collagen binding was low. The results indicate that SpA and fibronectin-binding protein contribute to the high relative surface hydrophobicity of S. aureus associated with caprine mastitis.     

高效液相色谱法研究牛乳源耐药金黄色葡萄球菌对环丙沙星的蓄积作用

近年来研究发现,金黄色葡萄球菌的NorA、NorB和NorC外排泵蛋白介导对氟喹诺酮类药物的耐药.本文采用临床分离的牛乳源环丙沙星耐药的金黄色葡萄球菌,通过建立的高效液相色谱法(HPLC-FLD),测定了临床分离的耐药、敏感菌及金黄色葡萄球菌标准菌株ATCC 29213对环丙沙星积聚量的差异,为临床检测通过外排泵介导的氟喹诺酮类药物耐药的金黄色葡萄球菌提供了方法学上的依据.     

Characteristics of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated from chicken meat and hospitalized dogs in Korea and their epidemiological relatedness

Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is one of the most important pathogens in human and veterinary hospitals. The isolation of MRSA from animals and foodstuffs has been reported with an increased incidence. However, methicillin (oxacillin) is not used in animal husbandry or in animal hospitals in Korea. In this study, three pre-MRSA and one silent mecA-carrying methicillin susceptible S. aureus (smMSSA) were isolated from retail chicken meat, and three MRSA were isolated from hospitalized dogs in Korea. The three pre-MRSA isolates were determined to have a staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) type III, and the smMSSA isolate was not classified. The animal hospital isolates were found to contain SCCmec type II. Seven and 15 S. aureus isolated from hospitalized humans and bovine milk, respectively, were also examined in this study in order to determine the epidemiological origins of MRSA. Multilocus sequencing typing (MLST) revealed that the chicken meat and bovine milk isolates were closely related to the animal hospital isolates. The SCCmec characteristics and MLST analyses indicated the possibility of the human to animal transmission of MRSA. These results highlight the importance of identifying MRSA carriers as well as intercepting MRSA transmission because MRSA is becoming increasingly widespread without any plausible relationship with the use of methicillin (oxacillin).     

金黄色葡萄球菌IsdD基因的克隆与表达

金黄色葡萄球菌是一种重要的人畜致病菌,IsdD属于金黄色葡萄球菌Isd系统中的重要成员。本研究根据GenBank报道的金黄色葡萄球菌IsdD基因序列设计一对特异性引物,以金黄色葡萄球菌基因组DNA为模板扩增出目的片段IsdD,将其用NcoⅠ和XhoⅠ双酶切后连接到载体pET32a(+)上,构建重组质粒pET32a(+)-IsdD。序列分析结果显示,目的基因序列与网上的IsdD序列相比核苷酸序列和氨基酸序列同源性均在98%以上。将鉴定正确的重组质粒转化到大肠杆菌E.coli BL21中并成功诱导表达出大小为61.3 ku的蛋白,这为下一步研究IsdD蛋白的结构和功能奠定了良好基础。     

spa typing and enterotoxin gene profile of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from bovine raw milk in Korea

Staphylococcus aureus is a major etiological pathogen of bovine mastitis, which triggers significant economic losses in dairy herds worldwide. In this study, S. aureus strains isolated from the milk of cows suffering from mastitis in Korea were investigated by spa typing and staphylococcal enterotoxin (SE) gene profiling. Forty-four S. aureus strains were isolated from 26 farms in five provinces. All isolates grouped into five clusters and two singletons based on 14 spa types. Cluster 1 and 2 isolates comprised 38.6% and 36.4% of total isolates, respectively, which were distributed in more than four provinces. SE and SE-like toxin genes were detected in 34 (77.3%) isolates and the most frequently detected SE gene profile was seg, sei, selm, seln, and selo genes (16 isolates, 36.3%), which was comparable to one of the genomic islands, Type I νSaβ. This is a first report of spa types and the prevalence of the recently described SE and SE-like toxin genes among S. aureus isolates from bovine raw milk in Korea. Two predominant spa groups were distributed widely and recently described SE and SE-like toxin genes were detected frequently.