PCR-based assay for discrimination between invasive and contaminating Staphylococcus epidermidis strains

The discrimination between Staphylococcus epidermidis strains that contaminate and infect blood cultures is a daily challenge for clinical laboratories. The results of PCR detection of putative virulence genes were compared for contaminating strains, sepsis-related strains, catheter strains, and sap...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of clinical microbiology 2000-02, Vol.38 (2), p.877-880
Main Authors: FREBOURG, N. B, LEFEBVRE, S, BAERT, S, LEMELAND, J.-F
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bacterial Adhesion - genetics
Bacteriological methods and techniques used in bacteriology
Bacteriology
Biological and medical sciences
DNA Primers
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Genes, Bacterial
Humans
Microbiology
Polymerase Chain Reaction - methods
RNA, Ribosomal, 16S - genetics
Staphylococcal Infections - microbiology
Staphylococcus epidermidis
Staphylococcus epidermidis - genetics
Staphylococcus epidermidis - pathogenicity
Staphylococcus epidermidis - physiology
Virulence - genetics
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Summary:The discrimination between Staphylococcus epidermidis strains that contaminate and infect blood cultures is a daily challenge for clinical laboratories. The results of PCR detection of putative virulence genes were compared for contaminating strains, sepsis-related strains, catheter strains, and saprophytic strains. Multiplex PCR was used to explore the atlE gene, which is involved in initial adherence, the intercellular adhesion gene cluster (ica), which mediates the formation of the biofilm, and the agrA, sarA, and mecA genes, which might contribute to the pathogenicity of S. epidermidis. Whereas the atlE, agrA, and sarA genes were almost ubiquitously amplified, the ica and mecA genes were detected significantly more in infecting strains than in contaminating strains (P
ISSN:0095-1137
1098-660X
DOI:10.1128/JCM.38.2.877-880.2000