Colonizing and infecting subclones diverge during Staphylococcus aureus infection
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ABSTRACT: Therapy of Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia is often ineffective, even under optimal conditions, and adapted subclones with attenuated agr-mediated virulence activation are associated with persistent infection and mortality. To understand how apparent loss of virulence leads to increased mortality, we sequenced complete genomes from clone pairs from colonizing and infected sites of patients in whom S. aureus demonstrated a within-host downshift in agr function in the infecting isolate. Clone pairs with a downshift in agr function showed substantial genetic divergence compared to wild-type pairs from controls. Complementation studies further identified an agr-defective bacteremic strain that was highly virulent in vivo, which we linked to a mutation that restored expression of the agr-regulated ess/Type-VII secretion system; a known virulence factor. Our results suggest that selection pressure during invasive infection is strong enough to mutationally bypass agr-deficiency associated loss of virulence, and that efforts to suppress agr function may need to be reconsidered.
ORGANISM(S): Staphylococcus aureus
PROVIDER: GSE102637 | GEO | 2019/08/14
REPOSITORIES: GEO
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