Virulence factors in coagulase-positive staphylococci of veterinary interest other than Staphylococcus aureus

Abstract

Coagulase-positive Staphylococci (CoPS) can exist as commensals in humans, companion and food-producing animals, but can cause severe or even lethal diseases. Exchange of these bacteria between humans and animals has been described. Special attention has been focused on Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus, but other CoPS can also represent an important threat. In addition to significant antimicrobial resistance, these bacteria may carry a plethora of virulence factors-molecules that allow bacteria to establish on or within a host and increase their ability to cause disease. These virulence factors have been widely described in S. aureus but information about other species of CoPS is scarce. The aim of this paper is to review the recent literature about the virulence factors of non-aureus CoPS of animal origin. Their possible effects on human health are also described. The role and prevalence of different virulence factors including leukocidins, hemolysins, adhesins, enterotoxins, exfoliative and toxic shock syndrome toxins as well as superantigen-like proteins are addressed. The effect of these virulence factors on human health is also described. The possibility of misdiagnosis of species of CoPS has been demonstrated in human clinical samples. Prevalence of zoonotic infections could be higher than thought and medical laboratories should be aware of these other staphylococcal species. In keeping with the 'One Health' approach to animal and human disease, medical professionals, veterinarians and health workers should be aware of the risks derived from exposure to these bacteria in people in close contact with animals, including pet owners, farmers and veterinarians themselves.

Virulence and Antimicrobial Resistance in Canine Staphylococcus spp. Isolates

“…All screened isolates were able to produce hemolysins; overall, 80% of isolates were α hemolytic and most of them (54% of total) were α/β hemolytic. Proteases, lipases, and gelatinases are extracellular enzymes that contribute to immune evasion and host tissue penetration, mainly facilitating movement through soft tissues like the epidermis and dermis [ 13 , 42 ]. Gelatinase production was a very common characteristic among tested bacteria, with 80% of positive isolates.…”

“…The exact arrangement of different Staphylococcus species as saprophytic, commensal, opportunistic, or pathogens for dogs is still under evaluation. Many studies have been focused on the discovery of some bacterial or host factors that could be at the basis of disease development, even if a mix of these factors are probably involved [ 1 , 7 , 9 , 13 ]. Regarding the bacterial side, different virulence factors have been detected in strains isolated from dogs, in particular from skin lesions, including different types of exfoliative toxins, leucocidins, superantigens, enterotoxins, invasion enzymes, and biofilm producers [ 10 , 11 , 14 , 15 , 16 ].…”

Enterotoxin Production and Antibiotic Resistance Profile of Staphylococcus aureus Isolated from Meat Samples

“…The presence of S.aureus has been well-established in commercial products . (2,12,13,22) A mean of micrococci/staphylococci and total staphylococci were counted 4.90, 4.86 log cfu/g in the bovine meat samples and 4.91, 4.85 log cfu/g in the chicken meat samples, respectively. The detection of micrococci/ staphylococci counts in this study was lower than the 6.21…”

First Molecular Characterization of Siphoviridae-Like Bacteriophages Infecting Staphylococcus hyicus in a Case of Exudative Epidermitis

“…In a Danish study on 314 isolates from 60 cases of EE, exhA (20%) and exhC (18%) were also prevalent among virulent strains, although exhB (33%) was the most common virulence gene (Andresen and Ahrens, 2004). However, distribution of different exh-genes differs by geography (González-Martín et al, 2020), with exhA being the most prevalent exh-gene in Japan in 2007 (Futagawa-Saito et al, 2007). In our study, S. hyicus strains with different exh-genes differed in their susceptibility to phages: while the exhA-positive strains 07/2-4A and 83/11-1A were efficiently lysed by all but two phages, the exhC-positive strain 83/7-1B was only weakly lysed by most phages, except PITT-4 and PITT-5.…”