Pathogenic Implication of a Fibrinogen-Binding Protein of Staphylococcus epidermidis in a Rat Model of Intravascular-Catheter-Associated Infection

Abstract

ABSTRACT The involvement of Fbe, a fibrinogen-binding protein of Staphylococcus epidermidis , in the pathogenesis of catheter-associated infection was investigated. An fbe (gene encoding Fbe protein) mutant was constructed by allelic replacement, wherein an erythromycin resistance gene replaced a portion of the A region of fbe . Meanwhile, a rat central venous catheter (CVC) infection model was established to assess the importance of Fbe in the pathogenesis of CVC-associated infection due to S. epidermidis . Fbe-positive S. epidermidis strain HB was significantly more likely to cause a CVC-associated infection resulting in bacteremia and metastatic disease than its isogenic Fbe-deficient mutant (100% versus 20%, P < 0.01). These results confirm the importance of adherence associated with Fbe in the pathogenesis of CVC-associated infection caused by S. epidermidis .