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BackgroundPrevious studies of both clinically-derived and in vitro passage-derived daptomycin-resistant (DAP-R) Staphylococcus aureus strains demonstrated the coincident emergence of increased DAP MICs and resistance to host defense cationic peptides (HDP-R).MethodsIn the present investigation, we studied a parental DAP-susceptible (DAP-S) methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strain and three isogenic variants with increased DAP MICs which were isolated from both DAP-treated and DAP-untreated rabbits with prosthetic joint infections. These strains were compared for: in vitro susceptibility to distinct HDPs differing in size, structure, and origin; i.e.; thrombin-induced platelet microbicidal proteins [tPMPs] and human neutrophil peptide-1 [hNP-1]; cell membrane (CM) phospholipid and fatty acid content; CM order; envelope surface charge; cell wall thickness; and mprF single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and expression profiles.ResultsIn comparison with the parental strain, both DAP-exposed and DAP-naive strains exhibited: (i) significantly reduced susceptibility to each HDP (P

INTRODUCTION:In bone and joint infections (BJIs), bacterial toxins are major virulence factors: Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL) expression leads to severe local damage, including bone distortion and abscesses, while α-hemolysin (Hla) production is associated with severe sepsis-related mortality. Recently, other toxins, namely phenol-soluble modulins (PSMs) expressed by community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) strain USA300 (LAC WT) were shown to have ex vivo intracellular cytotoxic activity after S. aureus invasion of osteoblasts, but their in vivo contribution in a relatively PVL-sensitive osteomyelitis model remains poorly elucidated. MATERIALS AND METHODS:We compared the outcomes of experimental rabbit osteomyelitises induced with pvl+hla+psms+ LAC WT and its isogenic Δpsm derivatives (LAC Δpsmα and LAC Δpsmαβhld) using an inoculum of 3 × 108 CFUs. Mortality, hematogenous spread (blood culture, spleen and kidney), lung and bone involvements were assessed in two groups (non-survivors of severe sepsis and survivors sacrificed on day (D) 14). RESULTS:Severe sepsis-related mortality tended to be lower for Δpsm derivatives (Kaplan-Meier curves, P = .06). Non-survivors' bone LAC-Δpsmα (6.9 log10 CFUs/g of bone, P = .04) or -Δpsmαβhld (6.86 log10 CFUs/g of bone, P = .014) densities were significantly higher than LAC WT (6.43 log10 CFUs/g of bone). Conversely, lung Δpsmαβhld CFUs were significantly lower than LAC WT (P = .04). LAC Δpsmα, Δpsmαβhld and WT induced similar bone damage in D14 survivors, with comparable bacterial densities (respectively: 5.89, 5.91, and 6.15 log10 CFUs/g of bone). Meanwhile, pulmonary histological scores of inflammation were significantly higher for LAC Δpsmα- and Δpsmαβhld-infected rabbits compared to LAC WT (P = .04 and .01, respectively) but with comparable lung bacterial densities. CONCLUSION:Our experimental results showed that deactivating PSM peptides significantly limited bacterial dissemination from bone during the early phase of infection, but did not affect local severity of USA300 rabbit osteomyelitis.

Previous studies of both clinically-derived and in vitro passage-derived daptomycin-resistant (DAP-R) Staphylococcus aureus strains demonstrated the coincident emergence of increased DAP MICs and resistance to host defense cationic peptides (HDP-R).In the present investigation, we studied a parental DAP-susceptible (DAP-S) methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strain and three isogenic variants with increased DAP MICs which were isolated from both DAP-treated and DAP-untreated rabbits with prosthetic joint infections. These strains were compared for: in vitro susceptibility to distinct HDPs differing in size, structure, and origin; i.e.; thrombin-induced platelet microbicidal proteins [tPMPs] and human neutrophil peptide-1 [hNP-1]; cell membrane (CM) phospholipid and fatty acid content; CM order; envelope surface charge; cell wall thickness; and mprF single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and expression profiles.In comparison with the parental strain, both DAP-exposed and DAP-naive strains exhibited: (i) significantly reduced susceptibility to each HDP (P

BACKGROUND: Extensive spread of community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) in the United States, and the concomitant increase in severe invasive staphylococcal infections, including osteomyelitis, in healthy children, has led to renewed interest in Panton-Valentine leukocidin (PVL). However, the pathogenetic role of PVL in staphylococcal infections remains controversial, possibly because it depends on the site of infection. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We compared the course of experimental rabbit osteomyelitis due to the PVL-positive CA-MRSA strain USA 300 (LAC) and its PVL-negative isogenic derivative (LACDeltapvl), using a low and a high inoculum (8x10(5) and 4x10(8) CFU). With the low inoculum, bone infection was less frequent on day 7 (D7) and day 28 (D28) with LACDeltapvl than with LAC (respectively 12/19 and 18/19 animals, p = 0.042). With the high inoculum of both strains, all the animals were infected on D7 and the infection persisted on D28 in almost every case. However, tibial bacterial counts and the serum CRP concentration fell significantly between D7 and D28 with LACDeltapvl but not with LAC. Respectively 67% and 60% of LAC-infected rabbits had bone deformation and muscle/joint involvement on D7, compared to 0% and 7% of LACDeltapvl-infected rabbits (p = 0.001 and p = 0.005 respectively). Between D0 and D28, the anti-PVL antibody titer increased significantly only with the high inoculum of LAC. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: PVL appears to play a role in the persistence and rapid local extension of rabbit osteomyelitis, in keeping with the greater severity of human bone infections due to PVL-positive S. aureus. The possible therapeutic implications of these findings are discussed.

Background: Previous studies of both clinically-derived and in vitro passage-derived daptomycin–resistant (DAP-R) Staphylococcus aureus strains demonstrated the coincident emergence of increased DAP MICs and resistance to host defense cationic peptides (HDP-R). Methods: In the present investigation, we studied a parental DAP-susceptible (DAP-S) methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strain and three isogenic variants with increased DAP MICs which were isolated from both DAP-treated and DAP-untreated rabbits with prosthetic joint infections. These strains were compared for: in vitro susceptibility to distinct HDPs differing in size, structure, and origin; i.e.; thrombin-induced platelet microbicidal proteins [tPMPs] and human neutrophil peptide-1 [hNP-1]; cell membrane (CM) phospholipid and fatty acid content; CM order; envelope surface charge; cell wall thickness; and mprF single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and expression profiles. Results: In comparison with the parental strain, both DAP-exposed and DAP-naive strains exhibited: (i) significantly reduced susceptibility to each HDP (P<0.05); (ii) thicker cell walls (P<0.05); (iii) increased synthesis of CM lysyl-phosphatidylglycerol (L-PG); (iv) reduced content of CM phosphatidylglycerol (PG); and (v) SNPs within the mprF locus No significant differences were observed between parental or variant strains in outer CM content of L-PG, CM fluidity, CM fatty acid contents, surface charge, mprF expression profiles or MprF protein content. An isolate which underwent identical in vivo passage, but without evolving increased DAP MICs, retained parental phenotypes and genotype. Conclusions: These results suggest: i) DAP MIC increases may occur in the absence of DAP exposures in vivo and may be triggered by organism exposure to endogenous HDPs: and ii) gain-in-function SNPs in mprF may contribute to such HDP-DAP cross-resistance phenotypes, although the mechanism of this relationship remains to be defined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]