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Adherence of peritonitis-causing staphylococci to human peritoneal mesothelial cell monolayers
I A Haagen1, H C Heezius, R P Verkooyen
1Laboratory of Microbiology, University of Utrecht Medical School, The Netherlands.
Abstract:
The adherence of staphylococci to monolayers of human mesothelial cells was studied. Adherence of Staphylococcus aureus to mesothelial cell monolayers was 3.4-fold better than to plastic (P less than .01) whereas that of Staphylococcus epidermidis was 3.0-fold less than to plastic (P less than .01). Neither serum albumin nor gelatin inhibited staphylococcal binding. S. aureus adherence correlated with the amount of cell wall protein A (r = .63, P less than .05) but not with fibronectin binding; it was significantly inhibited by the addition of purified cell wall lipoteichoic acid (55% +/- 2.7%), teichoic acid (34.5% +/- 3.4%), and protein A (25.6% +/- 2.9%) but not peptidoglycan. Protein A- and teichoic acid-deficient mutants adhered less well than their parent strains, and encapsulated S. epidermidis adhere well to human monothelial cells. Staphylococcal binding may involve cell wall lipoteichoic acid, teichoic acid, and protein A.
Insights
Staphylococcus aureus adheres better to human mesothelial cells than plastic, while Staphylococcus epidermidis adheres less. Key bacterial cell wall components like lipoteichoic acid, teichoic acid, and protein A influence this adherence.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Cell Biology
- Immunology
Background:
- Staphylococci are common bacteria that can cause infections.
- Understanding bacterial adherence to host cells is crucial for infection control.
- Human mesothelial cells line body cavities and can be a site for staphylococcal infections.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the adherence patterns of Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis to human mesothelial cells.
- To identify specific bacterial surface components involved in staphylococcal adherence.
Main Methods:
- Co-culturing staphylococci with human mesothelial cell monolayers.
- Quantifying bacterial adherence to cells and plastic surfaces.
- Assessing the role of bacterial cell wall components (protein A, lipoteichoic acid, teichoic acid, peptidoglycan) and host factors (serum albumin, gelatin) in adherence.
- Utilizing mutant strains deficient in specific cell wall components.
Main Results:
- Staphylococcus aureus showed significantly higher adherence to mesothelial cells compared to plastic (3.4-fold increase).
- Staphylococcus epidermidis exhibited significantly lower adherence to mesothelial cells compared to plastic (3.0-fold decrease).
- Bacterial adherence was significantly inhibited by lipoteichoic acid, teichoic acid, and protein A, but not peptidoglycan.
- Mutants lacking protein A or teichoic acid demonstrated reduced adherence.
- Encapsulated Staphylococcus epidermidis strains adhered well to mesothelial cells.
Conclusions:
- Staphylococcal adherence to human mesothelial cells is species-specific and influenced by bacterial surface components.
- Lipoteichoic acid, teichoic acid, and protein A are important mediators of Staphylococcus adherence.
- The findings provide insights into the mechanisms of staphylococcal colonization and infection.