Detection by PCR and analysis of the distribution of a fibronectin-binding protein gene (fbn) among staphylococcal isolates

• Published in: Journal of medical microbiology Vol. 42; no. 2; pp. 96 - 101
• Main Authors: Minhas, T, Ludlam, H. A, Wilks, M, Tabaqchali, S
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Reading Soc General Microbiol 01-02-1995; Society for General Microbiology
• Subjects: Adhesins, Bacterial; Agglutination Tests; Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins - genetics; Bacterial Proteins; Bacteriology; Base Sequence; Biological and medical sciences; Blotting, Southern; Carrier Proteins; DNA Primers - chemistry; DNA, Bacterial - chemistry; Endocarditis, Bacterial - microbiology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Genes, Bacterial; Humans; Microbiology; Molecular Sequence Data; Pathogenicity, virulence, toxins, bacteriocins, pyrogens, host-bacteria relations, miscellaneous strains; Peritoneal Dialysis, Continuous Ambulatory; Peritonitis - microbiology; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Skin - microbiology; Staphylococcal Infections - microbiology; Staphylococcus; Staphylococcus - genetics; Staphylococcus - isolation & purification; Staphylococcus - pathogenicity; Staphylococcus aureus - genetics; Staphylococcus aureus - isolation & purification; Staphylococcus aureus - pathogenicity; Virulence - genetics; Polymerase chain reaction; Binding protein; Bacteria; Micrococcales; Glycoproteins; Micrococcaceae; Method; Detection; Fibronectin; Staphylococcus
• ISSN: 0022-2615; 1473-5644
• DOI: 10.1099/00222615-42-2-96

Department of Medical Microbiology, St Bartholomew's Hospital Medical College, West Smithfield, London EC1A 7BE
* Correspondence should be sent to Professor S. Tabaqchali.
Received August 26, 1993
Revision received July 11, 1994.
Accepted August 15, 1994
Surmmary: The fibronectin-binding proteins of Staphylococcus aureus are considered to be important virulence factors for colonisation and infection. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect part of a gene equivalent to the fbn A gene of S. aureus in 120 isolates of staphylococci ( S. aureus, S. epidermidis, S. haemolyticus, S. simulans, S. hominis, S. warneri, S. cohnii and S. lugdunensis ). Primers specific for the binding domain region of the fbn A gene of S. aureus produced PCR products of the predicted sizes (93 and 207 bp). The identity of the PCR products was confirmed by digestion with Dde l and nucleic acid hybridisation. The fibronectin-binding activity of the staphylococci was determined with a particle agglutination assay (PAA). The fbn gene was found to be present by PCR in 107 of the 120 staphylococci tested, irrespective of their site of isolation, and expression of the gene was detected by PAA in 101 of the 120 strains.