Role of sarAin the Pathogenesis of Staphylococcus aureusMusculoskeletal Infection

ABSTRACTWe recently demonstrated that mutation of sarAin clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureusresults in a phenotype that is distinct by comparison to sarAmutants generated in the laboratory strain RN6390 (J. S. Blevins, K. E. Beenken, M. O. Elasri, B. K. Hurlburt, and M. S. Smeltzer, Infect. Immun. 70:470-480, 2002). This raises the possibility that studies demonstrating that RN6390 sarAmutants are attenuated do not accurately reflect the role of sarAin the pathogenesis of staphylococcal disease. To test this hypothesis, we used a murine model of musculoskeletal infection to assess the virulence of sarAand agrmutants generated in a clinical isolate of S. aureus(UAMS-1). By using this model, we confirmed that mutation of sarAand/or agrresults in a reduced capacity to cause both septic arthritis and osteomyelitis.