Virulence (Dec 2018)

Marginal role of von Willebrand factor-binding protein and coagulase in the initiation of endocarditis in rats with catheter-induced aortic vegetations

  • Stefano Mancini,
  • Frank Oechslin,
  • Carmen Menzi,
  • Yok Ai Que,
  • Jorien Claes,
  • Ruth Heying,
  • Tiago Rafael Veloso,
  • Thomas Vanassche,
  • Dominique Missiakas,
  • Olaf Schneewind,
  • Philippe Moreillon,
  • José Manuel Entenza

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1080/21505594.2018.1528845
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 9, no. 1
pp. 1615 – 1624

Abstract

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Staphylococcus aureus is the leading cause of infective endocarditis (IE). While the role of S. aureus cell-wall associated protein clumping factor A (ClfA) in promoting IE has been already demonstrated, that of the secreted plasma-clotting factors staphylocoagulase (Coa) and von Willebrand factor-binding protein (vWbp) has not yet been elucidated. We investigated the role of Coa and vWbp in IE initiation in rats with catheter-induced aortic vegetations, using Lactococcus lactis expressing coa, vWbp, clfA or vWbp/clfA, and S. aureus Newman Δcoa, ΔvWbp, ΔclfA or Δcoa/ΔvWbp/ΔclfA mutants. vWbp-expression increased L. lactis valve infection compared to parent and coa-expressing strains (incidence: 62%, versus 0% and 13%, respectively; P 0.05 versus ΔclfA mutant). Coa does not support the initial colonization of IE (in L. lactis) without other key virulence factors and vWbp contributes to initiation of IE (in L. lactis) but is marginal in the present of ClfA.

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