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Occurrence of virulence-associated genes among Staphylococcus saprophyticus isolated from different sources

Weslley de Paiva-Santos1, Viviane Santos de Sousa1, Marcia Giambiagi-deMarval1

  • 1Departamento de Microbiologia Médica, Instituto de Microbiologia Paulo de Góes, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Centro de Ciências da Saúde (CCS), Av. Carlos Chagas Filho, 373, Bloco I, Cidade Universitária, 21941-920, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.

Microbial Pathogenesis
|April 1, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Staphylococcus saprophyticus, a cause of urinary tract infections (UTIs), has genes for key surface proteins and enzymes universally present across environmental and clinical strains. This suggests non-human isolates may colonize the urinary tract.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Staphylococcus saprophyticus is a significant cause of community-acquired urinary tract infections (UTIs).
  • The environmental distribution and infection origins of S. saprophyticus remain incompletely understood.
  • Knowledge of virulence gene distribution and pathogenic potential across different S. saprophyticus sources is limited.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the prevalence of genes encoding surface proteins (UafA, Aas, Ssp, SdrI, SssF) and enzymes (d-serine deaminase [DsdA], urease) in S. saprophyticus.
  • To analyze the pathogenic potential of S. saprophyticus strains from diverse origins.
  • To characterize S. saprophyticus strains from clinical (UTI, colonization) and environmental (water, food) sources.

Main Methods:

  • Collection and analysis of 142 S. saprophyticus strains from four distinct sources: UTI, colonization, water, and food.
  • Detection of specific virulence-associated genes using molecular methods (details not specified in abstract).
  • Comparative analysis of gene presence/absence across different strain sources.

Main Results:

  • All 142 tested S. saprophyticus strains harbored genes for surface proteins UafA, Aas, Ssp, SssF, and the DsdA and urease enzymes.
  • The gene encoding the SdrI surface protein was absent in all analyzed S. saprophyticus strains.
  • Consistent presence of these virulence factors across clinical and environmental isolates was observed.

Conclusions:

  • The study elucidates the genetic characteristics of S. saprophyticus strains from various sources.
  • The universal presence of tested virulence genes suggests a conserved pathogenic potential.
  • Environmental S. saprophyticus isolates possess the genetic machinery to potentially colonize the human urinary tract.
Keywords:
Staphylococcus saprophyticusUrinary tract infectionsUropathogenic potentialVirulence-associated genes

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