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Staphylococcus cohnii hemolysins - isolation, purification and properties
1Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology, Medical University of Łódź, Poland. mrozalska@pharm.am.lodz.pl
Folia Microbiologica
|April 22, 2009
Summary
Staphylococcus cohnii isolates, particularly S. cohnii ssp. cohnii, show significant hemolytic activity synergistic with Staphylococcus aureus. These bacteria primarily produce delta-hemolysin, a potent toxin.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Bacterial Pathogenesis
- Toxinology
Background:
- Staphylococcus cohnii is a species found in various environments, including hospitals and non-hospital settings.
- Hemolytic activity in bacteria can contribute to pathogenicity and virulence.
- Understanding the toxins produced by S. cohnii is crucial for assessing its clinical relevance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the hemolytic activity of Staphylococcus cohnii isolates from diverse sources.
- To characterize the types of hemolysins produced by S. cohnii subspecies.
- To determine the molecular properties of S. cohnii hemolysins.
Main Methods:
- Testing 355 Staphylococcus cohnii isolates for hemolytic activity against sheep red blood cells.
- Assessing synergistic hemolysis with Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923.
- Characterizing hemolysins using crude preparations, semipreparative SDS-PAGE, organic solvent extraction, Native-PAGE, 2D-PAGE, and Tris-Tricine-SDS-PAGE.
Main Results:
- Ninety-one percent of S. cohnii ssp. cohnii and 74.5% of S. cohnii ssp. urealyticus strains exhibited synergistic hemolytic activity.
- Crude hemolysin preparations showed delta-hemolysin activity but lacked alpha- and beta-toxin activity.
- Purified hemolysins displayed high heterogeneity, with estimated molar masses of 3.47 kDa (ssp. cohnii) and 3.53 kDa (ssp. urealyticus).
Conclusions:
- Staphylococcus cohnii, particularly the ssp. cohnii subspecies, possesses significant hemolytic potential.
- The primary hemolysin produced is delta-hemolysin, contributing to synergistic hemolysis with S. aureus.
- The characterized hemolysins are low-molecular-weight toxins, suggesting potential roles in bacterial virulence.
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