Aggregation substance proteins encoded by sex pheromone plasmids increase the virulence of Enterococcus faecalis in experimental pathogenesis models, including infectious endocarditis models. These large surface proteins may contain multiple functional domains involved in various interactions with other bacterial cells and with the mammalian host. Aggregation substance Asc10, encoded by plasmid pCF10, is induced during growth in the mammalian bloodstream, and pCF10 carriage gives E. faecalis a significant selective advantage in this environment. We employed a rabbit model to investigate the role of various functional domains of Asc10 in endocarditis. The data suggested that the bacterial load of the infected tissue was the best indicator of virulence. Isogenic strains carrying either no plasmid, wild-type pCF10, a pCF10 derivative with an in-frame deletion of the prgB gene encoding Asc10, or pCF10 derivatives expressing other alleles of prgB were examined in this model. Previously identified aggregation domains contributed to the virulence associated with the wild-type protein, and a strain expressing an Asc10 derivative in which glycine residues in two RGD motifs were changed to alanine residues showed the greatest reduction in virulence. Remarkably, this strain and the strain carrying the pCF10 derivative with the in-frame deletion of prgB were both significantly less virulent than an isogenic plasmid-free strain. The data demonstrate that multiple functional domains are important in Asc10-mediated interactions with the host during the course of experimental endocarditis and that in the absence of a functional prgB gene, pCF10 carriage is actually disadvantageous in vivo.

Staphylococcus aureus is a prominent human pathogen and a leading cause of community-and hospitalacquired bacterial infections worldwide. Herein, we describe the identification and characterization of the S. aureus 67.6-kDa hypothetical protein, named for the surface factor promoting resistance to oxidative killing (SOK) in this study. Sequence analysis showed that the SOK gene is conserved in all sequenced S. aureus strains and homologous to the myosin cross-reactive antigen of Streptococcus pyogenes. Immunoblotting and immunofluorescence analysis showed that SOK was copurified with membrane fractions and was exposed on the surface of S. aureus Newman and RN4220. Comparative analysis of wild-type S. aureus and an isogenic deletion strain indicated that SOK contributes to both resistance to killing by human neutrophils and to oxidative stress. In addition, the S. aureus sok deletion strain showed dramatically reduced aortic valve vegetation and bacterial cell number in a rabbit endocarditis model. These results, plus the suspected role of the streptococcal homologue in certain diseases such as acute rheumatic fever, suggest that SOK plays an important role in cardiovascular and other staphylococcal infections.Staphylococcus aureus is a commensal that often colonizes skin and mucosal membranes (11,28). This species is usually benign in healthy individuals, but it is a high-risk pathogen for immunocompromised individuals. As a consequence of its numerous virulence factors and its adaptability, S. aureus is one of the most significant human pathogens for both nosocomialand community-associated infections (20). Moreover, an increasing resistance to antibacterial agents and the adaptation and emergence of methicillin-and vancomycin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA and VRSA, respectively) strains is alarming (2, 13).S. aureus is the causative agent of diverse human and animal maladies, including, but not limited to, abscesses, food poisoning, toxic shock syndrome, septicemia, and endocarditis (3,46,49). This cadre of diseases results from S. aureus strain heterogeneity. Although numerous, most S. aureus virulence factors are categorized into one of the following groups according to their functions: (i) surface proteins that promote adhesion, internalization, and colonization; (ii) toxins and enzymes that promote tissue damage, inflammation, and invasion and dissemination; (iii) surface factors that affect phagocytosis by leukocytes; (iv) factors that enhance survival in phagocytes; or (v) superantigens and other molecules that modulate the immune system by altering the function of lymphocytes and antigenpresenting cells (1,12,44).Our bioinformatics analysis of 13 S. aureus genomic sequences in search of potential virulence factors for staphylococcus-induced cardiovascular diseases revealed a conserved open reading frame ([ORF] 96 to 100% identity among all S. aureus sequences). The predicted translation products from these ORFs share 59% identity with the 67-kDa myosin crossreactive antigen (MCRA) of Streptococcus pyogenes ...