ROE F, BARTELS D, PASSMORE M, GREENBERG EP, DAVIS C, COSTERTON JW, LEWANDOWSKI Z; Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (41st : 2001 : Chicago, Ill.).

Abstr Intersci Conf Antimicrob Agents Chemother Intersci Conf Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2001 Dec 16-19; 41: abstract no. B-958.

Montana State University, Bozeman, MT

Background: The relationship of Staphylococcus aureus growth to toxin production within the vaginal environment is not well understood. This association is important and complex in the case of menstrual toxic shock syndrome (mTSS). Toxic Shock Syndrome Toxin-1 (TSST-1) is expressed in vitro by S. aureus under specific conditions of nutrients, aeration (gas levels), temperature and pH. Additionally, supporting surfaces and mode of growth may impact toxin production. Measurements in fluids overlaying biofilms of S. aureus indicate that toxin expression is strongly dependent on the ratio of carbon dioxide to oxygen. However, these measurements do not necessarily reflect concentrations of the dissolved gases within the biofilm. Methods: Using microelectrodes, oxygen and carbon dioxide depth profiles were taken in four day old S. aureus biofilms and correlated with the location of toxin production. The location of toxin production was determined using a TSST-1-yfp[TM] (yellow fluorescent protein) gene construct. Three different ratios of carbon dioxide to oxygen were used to saturate the media (Brain Heart Infusions) solution before passing it over the biofilm. S. aureus was grown in a one-passflow through reactor at 37 degrees Celsius and measurements were made. RESULTS: Oxygen was completely depleted within 50 microns of the biofilm-fluid interface in the 200-micron thick cluster; this was a decrease of 0.213 mM in oxygen (O[2]). Carbon dioxide increased by 0.25 mM at the thickest part of the cluster. Activity of yfp in the gene construct demonstrated heterogeneous expression of TSST-1 CONCLUSIONS: Microelectrodes in conjunction with the confocal microscope and molecular probes are suitable for studying the effects of carbon dioxide and oxygen on TSST-1 production by S. aureus in a biofilm model of growth.

Publication Types:

• Meeting Abstracts

Keywords:

• Bacterial Toxins
• Carbon Dioxide
• Enterotoxins
• Female
• In Vitro
• Oxygen
• Shock, Septic
• Staphylococcus aureus
• Superantigens
• Vagina
• analysis
• enterotoxin F, Staphylococcal
• immunology

Other ID:

• GWAIDS0030019

UI: 102269651

From Meeting Abstracts