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Infection and Immunity, March 1999, p. 1045-1049, Vol. 67, No. 3
0019-9567/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Alpha-Toxin and Gamma-Toxin Jointly Promote Staphylococcus aureus Virulence in Murine Septic Arthritis

Ing-Marie Nilsson,1,* Orla Hartford,2 Timothy Foster,2 and Andrzej Tarkowski1

Department of Rheumatology, Göteborg University, Göteborg, Sweden,1 and Microbiology Department, Moyne Institute of Preventive Medicine, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland2

Received 15 September 1998/Returned for modification 4 November 1998/Accepted 17 December 1998

Septic arthritis is a common and feared complication of staphylococcal infections. Staphylococcus aureus produces a number of potential virulence factors including certain adhesins and enterotoxins. In this study we have assessed the roles of cytolytic toxins in the development of septic arthritis by inoculating mice with S. aureus wild-type strain 8325-4 or isogenic mutants differing in the expression of alpha-, beta-, and gamma-toxin production patterns. Mice inoculated with either an alpha- or beta-toxin mutant showed degrees of inflammation, joint damage, and weight decrease similar to wild-type-inoculated mice. In contrast, mice inoculated with either double (alpha- and gamma-toxin-deficient)- or triple (alpha-, beta-, and gamma-toxin-deficient)-mutant S. aureus strains showed lower frequency and severity of arthritis, measured both clinically and histologically, than mice inoculated with the wild-type strain. We conclude that simultaneous production of alpha- and gamma-toxin is a virulence factor in S. aureus arthritis.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Rheumatology, Guldhedsgatan 10, S-41346 Göteborg, Sweden. Phone: 46-31-604616. Fax: 46-31-826791. E-mail: Ing-Marie.Nilsson{at}immuno.gu.se.

Infection and Immunity, March 1999, p. 1045-1049, Vol. 67, No. 3
0019-9567/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


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