Hematogenous infantile infection presenting as osteomyelitis and septic arthritis: a case report

Deftereos, Savas; Michailidou, Eleftheria; Karagiannakis, Georgios K; Grigoriadi, Stella; Prassopoulos, Panos

doi:10.4076/1757-1626-2-8293

Cited by 5 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…The gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus is a serious human pathogen that is responsible for an increasing number of illnesses and deaths each year [1] . The bacterium colonizes the nose and skin of humans and can cause illnesses ranging from skin infections [2] to life-threatening diseases such as endocarditis, bacteremia, pneumonia, meningitis, osteomyelitis, sepsis and the toxic shock syndrome [3] , [4] , [5] , [6] . Successful treatment of S. aureus infections remains a challenge as drug-resistant strains, such as methicillin-resistant and vancomycin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA and VRSA, respectively), are gaining prominence.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Structural Analysis of Staphylococcus aureus Serine/Threonine Kinase PknB

et al. 2012

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Effective treatment of infections caused by the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus remains a worldwide challenge, in part due to the constant emergence of new strains that are resistant to antibiotics. The serine/threonine kinase PknB is of particular relevance to the life cycle of S. aureus as it is involved in the regulation of purine biosynthesis, autolysis, and other central metabolic processes of the bacterium. We have determined the crystal structure of the kinase domain of PknB in complex with a non-hydrolyzable analog of the substrate ATP at 3.0 Å resolution. Although the purified PknB kinase is active in solution, it crystallized in an inactive, autoinhibited state. Comparison with other bacterial kinases provides insights into the determinants of catalysis, interactions of PknB with ligands, and the pathway of activation.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Structural Analysis of Staphylococcus aureus Serine/Threonine Kinase PknB

et al. 2012

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“…Recently, attention has been focussed on the PknB kinase of S. aureus . This Gram-positive bacterium is part of the human microbiota, but it can turn into a dangerous pathogen, causing a wide range of infections [18] , [19] , [20] . Although S. aureus is mostly considered as an extracellular pathogen, it can invade a variety of mammalian non-professional cells, such as nasal endothelial cells.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Staphylococcal PknB as the First Prokaryotic Representative of the Proline-Directed Kinases

et al. 2010

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In eukaryotic cell types, virtually all cellular processes are under control of proline-directed kinases and especially MAP kinases. Serine/threonine kinases in general were originally considered as a eukaryote-specific enzyme family. However, recent studies have revealed that orthologues of eukaryotic serine/threonine kinases exist in bacteria. Moreover, various pathogenic species, such as Yersinia and Mycobacterium, require serine/threonine kinases for successful invasion of human host cells. The substrates targeted by bacterial serine/threonine kinases have remained largely unknown. Here we report that the serine/threonine kinase PknB from the important pathogen Staphylococcus aureus is released into the external milieu, which opens up the possibility that PknB does not only phosphorylate bacterial proteins but also proteins of the human host. To identify possible human targets of purified PknB, we studied in vitro phosphorylation of peptide microarrays and detected 68 possible human targets for phosphorylation. These results show that PknB is a proline-directed kinase with MAP kinase-like enzymatic activity. As the potential cellular targets for PknB are involved in apoptosis, immune responses, transport, and metabolism, PknB secretion may help the bacterium to evade intracellular killing and facilitate its growth. In apparent agreement with this notion, phosphorylation of the host-cell response coordinating transcription factor ATF-2 by PknB was confirmed by mass spectrometry. Taken together, our results identify PknB as the first prokaryotic representative of the proline-directed kinase/MAP kinase family of enzymes.

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“…1 The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) considers MRI the gold standard for diagnosing septic arthritis and osteomyelitis since it is the most sensitive radiological investigation. 2,5 This patient was febrile, irritable, mildly anorexic, and later developed soft tissue swelling and pseudo-paralysis of the lower extremities. MRI led to the diagnosis.…”

Section: Expert Opinionmentioning

confidence: 99%