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Infection and Immunity, May 2005, p. 2812-2817, Vol. 73, No. 5
0019-9567/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.73.5.2812-2817.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

The Surface Protein Pls of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Is a Virulence Factor in Septic Arthritis

Elisabet Josefsson,1* Katri Juuti,2 Maria Bokarewa,1 and Pentti Kuusela3,4

Department of Rheumatology, University of Göteborg, Göteborg, Sweden,1 Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Division of General Microbiology, University of Helsinki, Finland,2 Department of Bacteriology and Immunology, The Haartman Institute, University of Helsinki, Finland,3 Division of Clinical Microbiology, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland4

Received 8 September 2004/ Returned for modification 16 November 2004/ Accepted 6 January 2005

Pls, a surface protein of certain methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains, is associated with poor bacterial adherence to solid-phase fibronectin and immunoglobulin G, as well as with reduced invasion of cultured epithelial cells. Here the importance of Pls for the development of septic arthritis and sepsis was investigated by using a mouse model. Mice inoculated with a pls knockout mutant developed a much milder arthritis and showed less grave weight reduction than mice infected with the wild-type Pls+ clinical isolate. Also, the pls mutant induced a significantly lower frequency of mortality than the wild-type strain. The bacterial load of the kidneys was larger in mice infected with the Pls+ strain than in animals challenged with the pls mutant. However, there was no evident inflammatory effect due to the Pls molecule alone, as indicated by knee injection of purified Pls. In conclusion, the results show that Pls is a virulence factor for septic arthritis and sepsis.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Rheumatology, University of Göteborg, Guldhedsgatan 10, S-413 46 Göteborg, Sweden. Phone: 46-31-3426475. Fax: 46-31-823925. E-mail: elisabet.josefsson{at}rheuma.gu.se.

Editor: F. C. Fang

Infection and Immunity, May 2005, p. 2812-2817, Vol. 73, No. 5
0019-9567/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.73.5.2812-2817.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.





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