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fbl-Typing of Staphylococcus lugdunensis: A Frontline Tool for Epidemiological Studies, but Not Predictive of

Sandrine Dahyot1, Jérémie Lebeurre2, Floriane Laumay3

  • 1UNIROUEN, GRAM EA2656, Rouen University Hospital, Normandie Université, Rouen, France.

Frontiers in Microbiology
|June 4, 2019
PubMed

Insights

A new DNA-based method, fbl-typing, effectively tracks Staphylococcus lugdunensis infections. This rapid and cost-effective tool aids in understanding the epidemiology of this potent pathogen.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Genetics
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • Staphylococcus lugdunensis is an emerging pathogen causing severe infections similar to Staphylococcus aureus.
  • Accurate typing methods are crucial for understanding S. lugdunensis epidemiology and infection control.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop and evaluate a novel DNA-based typing tool for S. lugdunensis using the fibrinogen-binding protein Fbl gene.
  • To assess the discriminatory power of this new method compared to existing techniques like MLST.

Main Methods:

  • DNA sequence analysis of the repeat-encoding region (R-domain) of the fbl gene (fbl-typing).
  • Typing of 240 S. lugdunensis isolates from diverse origins.
  • Comparison of fbl-typing with MLST and tandem repeat sequence typing.
  • Evaluation of fibrinogen (Fg) binding ability for selected isolates.

Main Results:

  • fbl-typing identified 92 distinct fbl-types among 240 isolates.
  • The method demonstrated higher discriminatory power than MLST and was equivalent to tandem repeat sequence typing.
  • fbl-types correlated well with MLST clonal complexes.
  • No direct correlation was found between Fg binding and fbl-types, although reduced binding was linked to frameshift mutations or fewer repeats.

Conclusions:

  • fbl-typing is a valuable, easy, cost-effective, rapid, and portable tool for S. lugdunensis epidemiology.
  • The method aids in classifying isolates and understanding population structures.
  • Further research is needed to determine the impact of fbl polymorphism on protein structure, expression, and virulence.
Keywords:
Staphylococcus lugdunensisepidemiologyfbl-typingfibrinogen adhesionphylogeny

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