Catalase negative Staphylococcus aureus retain virulence in mouse model of chronic granulomatous disease

• Published in: FEBS letters Vol. 518; no. 1; pp. 107 - 110
• Main Authors: Messina, Carlo G.M, Reeves, Emer P, Roes, Jürgen, Segal, Anthony W
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier B.V 08.05.2002
• Subjects: Animals; cat, catalase; Catalase; Catalase - analysis; CFU, colony forming units; CGD, chronic granulomatous disease; Chronic granulomatous disease; Colony Count, Microbial; Granulomatous Disease, Chronic - microbiology; Hydrogen Peroxide - metabolism; Hydrogen Peroxide - pharmacology; Infection; Iodine - metabolism; Kinetics; Leukocyte; Mice; MPO, myeloperoxidase; Neutrophils - immunology; Phagocytosis; Staphylococcus; Staphylococcus aureus - enzymology; Staphylococcus aureus - growth & development; Staphylococcus aureus - pathogenicity; Superoxide; Survival Analysis; Virulence; Infection; Chronic granulomatous disease; Catalase; Leukocyte; cat, catalase; CFU, colony forming units; Superoxide; CGD, chronic granulomatous disease; MPO, myeloperoxidase; Staphylococcus
• ISSN: 0014-5793; 1873-3468
• DOI: 10.1016/S0014-5793(02)02658-3

Myeloperoxidase-mediated chlorination is thought to be a necessary microbicidal mechanism. The H 2O 2 required for this process is generated by the NADPH oxidase. Staphylococcus aureus can also produce H 2O 2, which is not broken down by catalase negative organisms. It has been thought that this bacterial H 2O 2 can substitute for cellular H 2O 2 in the halogenation reaction in chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) where neutrophils are lacking the NADPH oxidase. We have readdressed this issue in a mouse model of CGD using clinical isolates of catalase positive and negative strains of S. aureus. The results showed these organisms to be equally virulent and that the H 2O 2 they produced is insufficient to cause significant iodination, a marker for chlorination, thereby contradicting the accepted views on this subject.