Presence of fibrinogen-binding adhesin gene in\+i\ Staphylococcus epidermidis\-i\ isolates from central venous catheters-associated and orthopaedic implant-associated infections

• Published in: Biomaterials Vol. 25; no. 19; pp. 4825 - 4829.
• Main Authors: Arciola, Carla Renata, Campoccia, Davide, Gamberini, Simonetta, Elena Donati, M, Montanaro, Lucio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01-08-2004
• ISSN: 0142-9612
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2003.11.056

Attention has recently been paid to identify and elucidate those pathogenetic mechanisms, which play a significant role in sustaining the early phases of Staphylococcus epidermidis colonisation and infection development. Several analogies with the physiology of Staphylococcus aureus, a more thoroughly investigated pathogen, have lead to carefully consider all bacterial surface components that mediate cell adhesion. This study aimed at investigating the presence of the fbe gene encoding for a fibrinogen-binding protein in a collection of 107 S. epidermidis strains isolated from orthopaedic infections and 67 from central venous catheter-associated infections. The strains isolated from orthopaedic infections were in large part associated to four different classes of orthopaedic devices, respectively: internal fixation devices, external fixation devices, knee arthroprostheses and hip arthroprostheses. The molecular epidemiology analysis performed by PCR enlightened a statistically significant difference in the prevalence of this adhesion mechanism between orthopaedic infections and catheter-related infections, respectively, of 78% and 91%. The prevalence of fbe ranged from 67% to 91%, suggesting that, even though this adhesin is not strictly necessary for the development of infection, nevertheless it represents a rather common characteristic of strains causing clinical infections, this independently on the presence or the absence of implant materials.