Staphylokinase and ABO group phenotype: new players in Staphylococcus aureus implant-associated infections development.

Aim: To identify bacterial and/or clinical features involved in the pathogenesis of Staphylococcus aureus implant-associated infections (IAI).
Materials & Methods: In total, 57 IAI S. aureus and 31 nasal carriage (NC) S. aureus isolates were studied. Staphylococcus aureus genetic background was obtained by microarray analysis. Multilocus sequence typing was performed to determine clonal complexes (CC). Biofilm production was investigated by resazurin and crystal violet methods.
Results: Staphylokinase gene was associated with the occurrence of S. aureus IAI. Patients' ABO blood group phenotype was associated with IAI S. aureus genetic background. CC8 S. aureus strains produce more biofilm than others and carry particular alleles of bbp gene.
Conclusion: This study identifies some predictive markers for S. aureus IAI.