Characterization of the virulence potential of Staphylococcus condimenti isolated from a patient with severe soft tissue infection

Complete genome sequence of a Staphylococcus condimenti isolated from a port catheter-associated bloodstream infection

Here, we describe the complete genome sequence of a Staphylococcus condimenti blood culture isolate from a catheter-related bloodstream infection in a male patient.

Microbiological monitoring of coagulase-negative Staphylococcus in public drinking water fountains: Pathogenicity factors, antimicrobial resistance and potential health risks

The presence of opportunistic bacteria such as coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (CoNS) in drinking water poses public health concerns because of its potential to cause human infection and due to its antimicrobial resistance (AMR) diversity. This study evaluated the occurrence, virulence markers and AMR of CoNS in 468 drinking water samples from 15 public fountains located in four urban parks of São Paulo city (Brazil). Out of 104 samples positive for the presence of Staphylococcus genus, we detected CoNS in 75 of them (16%), which did not meet the Brazilian sanitary standards for residual chlorine. All isolates were of concern to public health for being responsible for infection in humans from low to high severity, nine of them are considered the most of concern due to 63.6% being multiresistant to antimicrobials. The results demonstrated that CoNS in drinking water must not be neglected. It is concluded that the presence of resistant staphylococci in drinking water is a potential health risk, which urges feasible and quick control measures to protect human health, especially in crowded public places.

First Reported Human Case of Spondylodiscitis by Staphylococcus condimenti: A Case Report and Literature Review

Staphylococcus condimenti is a Gram-positive coccus that was first isolated from soy sauce mash. Only four cases of human S. condimenti infections have been reported to date. We herein report the first case of spondylodiscitis caused by S. condimenti. A 72-year-old Japanese man complaining of lower back pain and numbness in his legs was diagnosed with spondylodiscitis. A computed tomography (CT)-guided biopsy was performed. A culture of the intravertebral disc aspirate yielded S. condimenti. The result was confirmed using gene sequencing methods. The patient was successfully treated without relapse. This case shows that S. condimenti can be pathogenic and cause invasive infection.

Amplicon-Based High-Throughput Sequencing Method Capable of Species-Level Identification of Coagulase-Negative Staphylococci in Diverse Communities

Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) make up a diverse bacterial group, appearing in a myriad of ecosystems. To unravel the composition of staphylococcal communities in these microbial ecosystems, a reliable species-level identification is crucial. The present study aimed to design a primer set for high-throughput amplicon sequencing, amplifying a region of the tuf gene with enough discriminatory power to distinguish different CNS species. Based on 2566 tuf gene sequences present in the public European Nucleotide Archive database and saved as a custom tuf gene database in-house, three different primer sets were designed, which were able to amplify a specific region of the tuf gene for 36 strains of 18 different CNS species. In silico analysis revealed that species-level identification of closely related species was only reliable if a 100% identity cut-off was applied for matches between the amplicon sequence variants and the custom tuf gene database. From the three primer sets designed, one set (Tuf387/765) outperformed the two other primer sets for studying Staphylococcus-rich microbial communities using amplicon sequencing, as it resulted in no false positives and precise species-level identification. The method developed offers interesting potential for a rapid and robust analysis of complex staphylococcal communities in a variety of microbial ecosystems.

A case of a surgical-site infection with Staphylococcus condimenti

INTRODUCTION

Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) are considered to have a medium or low pathogenic capacity when compared to S. aureus. Among the more harmless, CNS are those that are used in the food industry, represented by S. carnosus, whose genome has extensively been studied. Its genome was found to contain several genomic sequences that have a virulent function in the pathogenic S. aureus. Even though these genes are probably not virulent in S. carnosus, their presence might indicate a more virulent potential. We report the third clinical case associated with a surgical-site infection with S. condimenti, which belongs to these food industry related CNS. It corresponds to a blood stream infection, secondary to a surgical-site infection.

RESULTS

Antibiotic susceptibility testing indicated a resistance to erythromycin and rifampicin, which was partly confirmed by the presence of a macrolide resistance gene by PCR screening for S. aureus virulence factors. Although no other putative virulence factors were detected, this organism managed to cause a severe post-operative wound infection.

CONCLUSION

This case shows that CNS that are currently used in the food industry may play a role in human infection. With technologies such as MALDI-TOF, pathogens that are regarded non-pathogenic could be identified more often. Therefore, the risk of different Staphylococcus strains used in the food industry must be better assessed.

First reported human case of meningitis by Staphylococcus condimenti

Staphylococcus condimenti (S. condimenti) is a coagulase-negative bacterium, generally regarded as not pathogenic. Indeed, S. condimenti owes its name to having been isolated from starter cultures of fermented sausage, as well as from fish and soy sauces. To the best of our knowledge, only two cases of human infection caused by this bacterium have been reported. Here, we present a case of meningitis by S. condimenti in a 65-year-old woman who was brought to hospital after having been found unconscious at home. At her arrival, she had a Glasgow coma scale = 3, fever, and hypoxic-normocapnic respiratory failure. Examination of her cerebrospinal fluid showed a slightly increased white blood cell count, normal glucose and protein concentrations. Paired cultures on blood and liquor samples yielded S. condimenti. Targeted antibiotic treatment with ceftriaxone led to a complete recovery. This unique case expands our knowledge on S. condimenti as a pathogenic bacterium.