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Journal of Dairy Science Jun 2024Non-aureus staphylococci and mammaliicocci (NASM) are the most frequently isolated bacterial group from bovine milk samples. Most studies focus on subclinical mastitis...
Non-aureus staphylococci and mammaliicocci (NASM) are the most frequently isolated bacterial group from bovine milk samples. Most studies focus on subclinical mastitis caused by NASM; however, NASM can cause clinical mastitis (CM) as well. We evaluated retrospective data from 6 years (2017-2022) to determine the species and frequency of NASM isolated from quarter bovine CM. The data was comprised of microbiological results from quarter CM samples routinely submitted to Quality Milk Production Services at Cornell University for microbial identification by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. A total of 9,909 microbiological results from 410 dairy herds were evaluated. Our results showed that 29 distinct NASM species were identified, with the 8 most prevalent NASM species being Staphylococcus chromogenes, Staphylococcus haemolyticus, Staphylococcus simulans, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus sciuri (now Mammaliicoccus sciuri), Staphylococcus agnetis/Staphylococcus hyicus, Staphylococcus borealis, and Staphylococcus xylosus. The NASM distribution remained similar among seasons, but the frequency of NASM CM cases was higher during the summer. Our results showed different patterns of variations in the isolation frequency over time, depending on the bacterial species: increasing or decreasing trends, cyclic fluctuations, and, except for Staphylococcus borealis, a significant seasonality effect for our study's most prevalent NASM. This study showed that Staphylococcus chromogenes remains the most frequent (43%) NASM species identified from bovine CM, followed by Staphylococcus haemolyticus (18%), and Staphylococcus simulans (12%).
Topics: Animals; Cattle; Mastitis, Bovine; Female; Retrospective Studies; Staphylococcus; Milk; Staphylococcal Infections
PubMed: 38056569
DOI: 10.3168/jds.2023-24086 -
Genome Announcements Jun 2016Staphylococcus simulans is a normal part of the microbiota in humans and animals and is rarely associated with human invasive infections. We present here the genome...
Staphylococcus simulans is a normal part of the microbiota in humans and animals and is rarely associated with human invasive infections. We present here the genome sequence of S. simulans CJ16, which caused the first case of surgical site infection. Adhesion proteins, including fibronectin-binding protein (FnbA), elastin-binding protein (EbpS), and cell wall-anchored protein (SasA, SasF, and SasH), were detected in the genome, which might promote the survival of S. simulans on human skin and pathogenesis of infections.
PubMed: 27313298
DOI: 10.1128/genomeA.00555-16 -
Arthritis and Rheumatism Sep 2004Blood cultures and cultures of disc material are required to identify and treat bacterial agents responsible for septic spondylodiscitis, but these methods have limited... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
OBJECTIVE
Blood cultures and cultures of disc material are required to identify and treat bacterial agents responsible for septic spondylodiscitis, but these methods have limited sensitivities. We undertook this study to compare nonculture amplification-based DNA analysis with conventional culture of disc aspirate.
METHODS
Nineteen patients with spondylodiscitis, including 11 with a history of spinal surgery, presented with negative blood cultures and underwent percutaneous disc or epidural abscess puncture for bacterial diagnosis. Amplification by polymerase chain reaction was performed on 16S ribosomal DNA universal target genes and femA staphylococci-specific target genes in all patients, and on the upstream p34 mycobacterial gene in 1 patient. Species identification relied on amplicon sequencing and comparison with templates from GenBank. Amplification of the femA gene led to subsequent testing for methicillin resistance by amplification of the mecA gene. Further assessment using a staphylococci- and methicillin resistance-specific DNA array was performed on 3 samples.
RESULTS
Microbiologic and molecular assays identified the causative organism in 14 of 19 patients (74%) and 19 of 19 patients (100%), respectively. In culture-positive patients, DNA-based and microbiologic results were highly correlated. Five agents (Staphylococcus simulans, Staphylococcus sciuri, Brucella species, Actinomyces israelii, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex) were identified only by DNA-based methods. In 1 sample, Corynebacterium jeikeium and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus were both cultured, whereas DNA analysis identified only Staphylococcus hominis.
CONCLUSION
DNA-based methods are highly sensitive and specific. They can usefully complement standard microbiologic methods for identifying the cause of infectious spondylodiscitis and contribute to species-specific therapeutic orientation in patients with negative blood and disc aspirate cultures.
Topics: Adult; Aged; Bacterial Infections; Bacteriological Techniques; Discitis; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques
PubMed: 15457468
DOI: 10.1002/art.20462 -
BMC Infectious Diseases Jan 2021Exotoxins secreted from Staphylococcus aureus or Streptococcus pyogenes act as superantigens that induce systemic release of inflammatory cytokines and are a common...
BACKGROUND
Exotoxins secreted from Staphylococcus aureus or Streptococcus pyogenes act as superantigens that induce systemic release of inflammatory cytokines and are a common cause of toxic shock syndrome (TSS). However, little is known about TSS caused by coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) and the underlying mechanisms. Here, we present a rare case of TSS caused by Staphylococcus simulans (S. simulans).
CASE PRESENTATION
We report the case of a 75-year-old woman who developed pneumococcal pneumonia and bacteremia from S. simulans following an influenza infection. The patient met the clinical criteria for probable TSS, and her symptoms included fever of 39.5 °C, diffuse macular erythroderma, conjunctival congestion, vomiting, diarrhea, liver dysfunction, and disorientation. Therefore, the following treatment was initiated for bacterial pneumonia complicating influenza A with suspected TSS: meropenem (1 g every 8 h), vancomycin (1 g every 12 h), and clindamycin (600 mg every 8 h). Blood cultures taken on the day after admission were positive for CoNS, whereas sputum and pharyngeal cultures grew Streptococcus pneumoniae (Geckler group 4) and methicillin-sensitive S. aureus, respectively. However, exotoxins thought to cause TSS, such as TSS toxin-1 and various enterotoxins, were not detected. The patient's therapy was switched to cefazolin (2 g every 8 h) and clindamycin (600 mg every 8 h) for 14 days based on microbiologic test results. She developed desquamation of the fingers on hospital day 8 and was diagnosed with TSS. Conventional exotoxins, such as TSST-1, and S. aureus enterotoxins were not detected in culture samples. The serum levels of inflammatory cytokines, such as neopterin and IL-6, were high. CD8+ T cells were activated in peripheral blood. Vβ2+ population activation, which is characteristic for TSST-1, was not observed in the Vβ usage of CD8+ T cells in T cell receptor Vβ repertoire distribution analysis.
CONCLUSIONS
We present a case of S. simulans-induced TSS. Taken together, we speculate that no specific exotoxins are involved in the induction of TSS in this patient. A likely mechanism is uncontrolled cytokine release (i.e., cytokine storm) induced by non-specific immune reactions against CoNS proliferation.
Topics: Aged; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Blood Culture; Cefazolin; Clindamycin; Cytokine Release Syndrome; Cytokines; Female; Humans; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Shock, Septic; Sputum; Staphylococcal Infections; Staphylococcus; Staphylococcus aureus; Streptococcus pneumoniae; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 33407229
DOI: 10.1186/s12879-020-05731-y -
The FEBS Journal Sep 2014Staphylococcus simulans biovar staphylolyticus lysostaphin efficiently cleaves Staphylococcus aureus cell walls. The protein is in late clinical trials as a topical...
UNLABELLED
Staphylococcus simulans biovar staphylolyticus lysostaphin efficiently cleaves Staphylococcus aureus cell walls. The protein is in late clinical trials as a topical anti-staphylococcal agent, and can be used to prevent staphylococcal growth on artificial surfaces. Moreover, the gene has been both stably engineered into and virally delivered to mice or livestock to obtain resistance against staphylococci. Here, we report the first crystal structure of mature lysostaphin and two structures of its isolated catalytic domain at 3.5, 1.78 and 1.26 Å resolution, respectively. The structure of the mature active enzyme confirms its expected organization into catalytic and cell-wall-targeting domains. It also indicates that the domains are mobile with respect to each other because of the presence of a highly flexible peptide linker. The high-resolution structures of the catalytic domain provide details of Zn(2+) coordination and may serve as a starting point for the engineering of lysostaphin variants with improved biotechnological characteristics.
STRUCTURED DIGITAL ABSTRACT
lysostaphin by x-ray crystallography (1, 2).
Topics: Bacterial Proteins; Catalytic Domain; Coordination Complexes; Crystallography, X-Ray; Lysostaphin; Models, Molecular; Protein Structure, Secondary; Staphylococcus; Zinc
PubMed: 25039253
DOI: 10.1111/febs.12929 -
Infection and Immunity Jan 1981The presence of choriogonadotropin- and alpha-subunit-like materials in two species of bacteria identified as Staphylococcus simulans and Streptococcus faecalis have...
The presence of choriogonadotropin- and alpha-subunit-like materials in two species of bacteria identified as Staphylococcus simulans and Streptococcus faecalis have been demonstrated by the indirect fluorescein-labeled and the indirect peroxidase-labeled immunocytochemical techniques, utilizing antiserum for human choriogonadotropin, for its alpha and beta-subunits and the bera-subunit COOH-terminal peptide. The bacteria were originally isolated from the urine of two patients with advanced forms of cancer. Chromatography done on the water-soluble extract of acetone powder preparations of the bacterial cultures revealed the presence of a material similar to the complete trophoblastic hormone and to its beta-subunit in the culture media of S. simulans, and to the beta-subunit in the media of S. faecalis. No free alpha-subunit was detectable. Furthermore, the choriogonadotropin-like factor demonstrated biological activity in in vivo assay systems. From the present results, it can be concluded that some species of "cancer-associated" bacteria can synthesize a human trophoblastic hormone-like glycoprotein with physicochemical properties similar to those of the human trophoblastic hormone that is biologically active and that is either released complete or as one of its subunits in the culture media.
Topics: Chorionic Gonadotropin; Enterococcus faecalis; Humans; Immunoenzyme Techniques; Neoplasms; Staphylococcus
PubMed: 6783540
DOI: 10.1128/iai.31.1.487-494.1981 -
Journal of Dairy Science Aug 2017Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) are considered to be commensal bacteria in humans and animals, but are now also recognized as etiological agents in several...
Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) are considered to be commensal bacteria in humans and animals, but are now also recognized as etiological agents in several infections, including bovine mastitis. Biofilm formation appears to be an important factor in CNS pathogenicity. Furthermore, some researchers have proposed that CNS colonization of the intramammary environment has a protective effect against other pathogens. The mechanisms behind the protective effect of CNS have yet to be characterized. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of CNS isolates with a weak-biofilm phenotype on the biofilm formation of other staphylococcal isolates. We selected 10 CNS with a weak-biofilm phenotype and 30 staphylococcal isolates with a strong-biofilm phenotype for this study. We measured biofilm production by individual isolates using a standard polystyrene microtiter plate assay and compared the findings with biofilm produced in mixed cultures. We confirmed the results using confocal microscopy and a microfluidic system with low shear force. Four of the CNS isolates with a weak-biofilm phenotype (Staphylococcus chromogenes C and E and Staphylococcus simulans F and H) significantly reduced biofilm formation in approximately 80% of the staphylococcal species tested, including coagulase-positive Staphylococcus aureus. The 4 Staph. chromogenes and Staph. simulans isolates were also able to disperse pre-established biofilms, but to a lesser extent. We also performed a deferred antagonism assay and recorded the number of colony-forming units in the mixed-biofilm assays on differential or selective agar plates. Overall, CNS with a weak-biofilm phenotype did not inhibit the growth of isolates with a strong-biofilm phenotype. These results suggest that some CNS isolates can negatively affect the ability of other staphylococcal isolates and species to form biofilms via a mechanism that does not involve growth inhibition.
Topics: Animals; Biofilms; Cattle; Coagulase; Female; Humans; Mastitis, Bovine; Staphylococcal Infections; Staphylococcus; Staphylococcus aureus
PubMed: 28624271
DOI: 10.3168/jds.2017-12629 -
Clinical Microbiology and Infection :... Mar 2005As routine identification of coagulase-negative staphylococci is problematic, the performance of automated ribotyping was evaluated for identification of...
As routine identification of coagulase-negative staphylococci is problematic, the performance of automated ribotyping was evaluated for identification of coagulase-negative staphylococci other than Staphylococcus epidermidis. In total, 177 isolates were tested, comprising 149 isolates from blood samples, 15 isolates that were not identified by internal transcribed spacer (ITS)-PCR in a previous study, and 13 reference strains. The identification results were compared with those obtained by the API 20 Staph system, with standard phenotypic and molecular methods as reference. Most (n = 166; 93.8%) isolates were identified correctly by automated ribotyping. For 61 isolates, API 20 Staph and ribotyping were in agreement, but for 105 isolates, ribotyping provided correct identification and API 20 Staph did not. Four isolates not identified by automated ribotyping were recognised correctly by API 20 Staph. The remaining seven isolates could not be identified by either of the two methods. Automated ribotyping was able to distinguish Staphylococcus capitis reliably from Staphylococcus caprae. The results demonstrate the value of automated ribotyping for identification of coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (CoNS) isolates from human sources and may help to clarify the clinical relevance of CoNS species. In addition, automated ribotyping was able to detect polymorphisms that may be useful for epidemiological purposes within S. capitis, Staphylococcus hominis, Staphylococcus haemolyticus, Staphylococcus simulans, S. caprae, Staphylococcus warneri, Staphylococcus lugdunensis, Staphylococcus schleiferi, Staphylococcus sciuri, Staphylococcus pasteuri and Staphylococcus xylosus.
Topics: Phenotype; RNA, Bacterial; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Ribotyping; Species Specificity; Staphylococcus
PubMed: 15715714
DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-0691.2004.01052.x -
Journal of Clinical Microbiology Feb 1985Staphylococcus simulans was identified as the etiological agent of osteomyelitis and septic arthritis in an adult male who had sustained a fracture of the fibula and...
Staphylococcus simulans was identified as the etiological agent of osteomyelitis and septic arthritis in an adult male who had sustained a fracture of the fibula and syndesmosis separation which required the installation of orthopedic hardware. Identifying characteristics and antibiograms for this organism, recovered from blood, wound exudate, and deep tissue samples, were determined. Recent evidence has linked slime production (adherence to smooth surfaces) by coagulase-negative staphylococci to infections by these organisms at sites where foreign bodies had been inserted. Tests for adherence showed this S. simulans strain to be a strong slime producer. This is the first reported case of osteomyelitis and septicemia due to S. simulans.
Topics: Adult; Arthritis, Infectious; Chronic Disease; Coagulase; Humans; Male; Osteomyelitis; Sepsis; Staphylococcal Infections; Staphylococcus
PubMed: 3972995
DOI: 10.1128/jcm.21.2.255-257.1985 -
Applied and Environmental Microbiology Apr 2006The increased incidence of bacterial antibiotic resistance has led to a renewed search for novel antimicrobials. Avoiding the use of broad-range antimicrobials through...
The increased incidence of bacterial antibiotic resistance has led to a renewed search for novel antimicrobials. Avoiding the use of broad-range antimicrobials through the use of specific peptidoglycan hydrolases (endolysins) might reduce the incidence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens worldwide. Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus agalactiae are human pathogens and also cause mastitis in dairy cattle. The ultimate goal of this work is to create transgenic cattle that are resistant to mastitis through the expression of an antimicrobial protein(s) in their milk. Toward this end, two novel antimicrobials were produced. The (i) full-length and (ii) 182-amino-acid, C-terminally truncated S. agalactiae bacteriophage B30 endolysins were fused to the mature lysostaphin protein of Staphylococcus simulans. Both fusions display lytic specificity for streptococcal pathogens and S. aureus. The full lytic ability of the truncated B30 protein also suggests that the SH3b domain at the C terminus is dispensable. The fusions are active in a milk-like environment. They are also active against some lactic acid bacteria used to make cheese and yogurt, but their lytic activity is destroyed by pasteurization (63 degrees C for 30 min). Immunohistochemical studies indicated that the fusion proteins can be expressed in cultured mammalian cells with no obvious deleterious effects on the cells, making it a strong candidate for use in future transgenic mice and cattle. Since the fusion peptidoglycan hydrolase also kills multiple human pathogens, it also may prove useful as a highly selective, multipathogen-targeting antimicrobial agent that could potentially reduce the use of broad-range antibiotics in fighting clinical infections.
Topics: Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Bacteriophages; Cattle; Endopeptidases; Female; Lysostaphin; Mastitis, Bovine; Molecular Sequence Data; N-Acetylmuramoyl-L-alanine Amidase; Recombinant Fusion Proteins; Staphylococcus; Staphylococcus aureus; Streptococcus; Streptococcus agalactiae
PubMed: 16598006
DOI: 10.1128/AEM.72.4.2988-2996.2006