Project description:BACKGROUND:Aggregatibacter aphrophilus, a commensal of the oro-pharyngeal flora and member of the HACEK group of organisms, is an uncommonly encountered clinical pathogen. It has already been described as the causative agent of brain abscesses, empyema, meningitis, sinusitis, otitis media, bacteriemia, pneumonia, osteomyelitis, peritonitis, endocarditis and wound infections. Herein we report the first case of bartholinitis due to A. aphrophilus. CASE PRESENTATION:A 33-year-old woman was admitted for a 3-day genital pain without fever and urinary functional signs. The abscess was incised and drained; A. aphrophilus was the only micro-organism that grew from the pus. The patient received no antibiotics; the clinical course was favourable. CONCLUSION:This case highlights the importance of an effective treatment of recurrent bartholinitis such as a cold resection of the gland. It is presented for its rarity.
Project description:We report the finished and annotated genome sequence of Aggregatibacter aphrophilus strain NJ8700, a strain isolated from the oral flora of a healthy individual, and discuss characteristics that may affect its dual roles in human health and disease. This strain has a rough appearance, and its genome contains genes encoding a type VI secretion system and several factors that may participate in host colonization.
Project description:OBJECTIVE:To test the hypothesis that virulence genes of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans can be expressed and confer fitness advantages in the closely related Aggregatibacter aphrophilus. DESIGN:Clinical isolates of A. aphrophilus were screened for natural competence with marked genomic DNA from A. actinomycetemcomitans and A. aphrophilus. The gene katA of A. actinomycetemcomitans D7S-1 and its flanking regions were constructed and inserted into a comparable locus in the genome of a naturally competent A. aphrophilus strain by a markerless protocol via natural transformation. Mutants of A. actinomycetemcomitans with or without katA were also constructed by a similar protocol. Discs soaked with either 0.03% hydrogen peroxide or broth culture of Streptococcus gordonii Challis were placed on the agar with cultures of A. actinomycetemcomitans or A. aphrophilus. The size of the growth inhibition zone associated with the disc was measured after 2-day culture. RESULTS:Five of the 13A. aphrophilus strains exhibited a transformation frequency of 10-6 or higher. The intra- and inter-species transformation frequencies were comparable. The inhibition zones for katA-negative strains of A. actinomycetemcomitans or A. aphrophilus were 3- to 7-fold larger than those associated with katA-positive strains (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS:There was no apparent species barrier for the transfer and expression of A. actinomycetemcomitans katA in A. aphrophilus. The inserted A. actinomycetemcomitans-specific katA gene in A. aphrophilus strain NJ8700 conferred resistance to inhibition by hydrogen peroxide or S. gordonii. The potential to swap genes between these two closely related oral species may be an alternative approach for investigating the virulence determinants of A. actinomycetemcomitans.
