The Type 7b Secretion System of S. aureus and Its Role in Colonization and Systemic Infection

Staphylococcus aureus bears a type 7b secretion system (T7bSS) that assembles in the bacterial envelope to promote the secretion of WXG-like proteins and toxic effectors bearing LXG domains. Cognate immunity proteins bind cytosolic effectors to mute their toxicity prior to secretion. T7b-secreted factors have been associated with the pathogenesis of staphylococcal disease and intraspecies competition. We identified earlier strain WU1, an S. aureus ST88 isolate that caused outbreaks of skin and soft tissue infections in mouse breeding facilities. WU1 was also found to persistently colonize the nasopharynx of animals, suggesting a strong host adaptation. In this manner, WU1 colonization and infectivity in mice resembles that of methicillin-sensitive and -resistant S. aureus strains in humans, where nasal carriage is a major risk factor for invasive infections. Here, animals were colonized with wild-type or T7-deficient WU1 strains or combinations thereof. Absence of the T7bSS did not affect colonization in the nasopharynx of animals, and although fluctuations were observed in weekly samplings, the wild-type strain did not replace the T7-deficient strain in cocolonization experiments. Bloodstream infection with a T7b-deficient strain resulted in enhanced survival and reduced bacterial loads and abscesses in soft tissues compared to infection with wild-type WU1. Together, experiments using a mouse-adapted strain suggest that the T7bSS of S. aureus is an important contributor to the pathogenesis of invasive disease.