Intraspecific cooperation allows the survival of Staphylococcus aureus staff: a novel strategy for disease relapse

• Published in: BMC infectious diseases Vol. 24; no. 1; pp. 1092 - 12
• Main Authors: Luo, Hua, Ni, Lijia, Chen, Tongling, Huang, Lisi, Zhang, Xiaofan, Li, Xuexue, Liao, Xiaoyan, Shen, Rui, Luo, Zhaofan, Xie, Xiaoying
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 01.10.2024; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Analysis; Animals; Antibiotics; Antimicrobial agents; Bacteria; Biofilm; Biofilms; Biofilms - growth & development; Care and treatment; Chronic infection; Comorbidity; Complications and side effects; Cooperation; Diseases; Dosage and administration; Drug resistance; Gene mutations; Genes; Genomes; Health aspects; Humans; Infection; Intraspecific cooperation; Larva - microbiology; Larvae; Lavage; Lung diseases; Methicillin; Microbial Viability; Microorganisms; Moths - microbiology; Pathogenicity; Pathogens; Pneumonia; Recurrence; Relapse; Species Specificity; Staphylococcal infections; Staphylococcal Infections - microbiology; Staphylococcus aureus; Staphylococcus aureus - genetics; Staphylococcus aureus - pathogenicity; Staphylococcus aureus - physiology; Staphylococcus infections; Strains (organisms); Strategy; Survival; Tazobactam; Virulence; Virulence (Microbiology); Virulence factors; Virulence Factors - genetics; Virulence Factors - metabolism; China; France; Beijing China; Biofilm; Relapse; Intraspecific cooperation; Virulence; Staphylococcus aureus
• ISSN: 1471-2334; 1471-2334
• DOI: 10.1186/s12879-024-10001-2

The contribution of interspecies interactions between coinfecting pathogens to chronic refractory infection by affecting pathogenicity is well established. However, little is known about the impact of intraspecific interactions on infection relapse, despite the cross-talk of different strains within one species is more common in clinical infection. We reported a case of chronic refractory pulmonary infection relapse, caused by two methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) strains (SA01 and SA02) and revealed a novel strategy for relapse via intraspecific cooperation. The hemolytic ability, growth curve, biofilm formation, virulence genes and response of G. mellonella larvae to S. aureus infection were analysed to confirm this hypothesis. SA02 hemolytic activity was inhibited by SA01, along with the expression of hemolysin genes and the virulence factor Hla. Additionally, SA01 significantly enhanced the biofilm formation of SA02. AIP-RNAIII may be a possible pathway for this interaction. Compared with mono-infection, a worse outcome (decreased larval survival and increased microbial burden) of the two MSSA strains coinfected with G. mellonella confirmed that intraspecific interactions indeed enhanced bacterial survival in vivo. The intraspecific interaction of S. aureus could lead to chronic refractory infection via pathogenicity changes.