Topography of distinct Staphylococcus aureus types in chronic wounds of patients with epidermolysis bullosa

TY - JOUR

T1 - Topography of distinct Staphylococcus aureus types in chronic wounds of patients with epidermolysis bullosa

AU - van der Kooi-Pol, Magdalena M

AU - Sadaghian Sadabad, Mehdi

AU - Duipmans, José C

AU - Sabat, Artur J

AU - Stobernack, Tim

AU - Omansen, Till F

AU - Westerhout-Pluister, Gerlinde N

AU - Jonkman, Marcel F

AU - Harmsen, Hermie J M

AU - van Dijl, Jan Maarten

PY - 2013

Y1 - 2013

N2 - The opportunistic pathogen Staphylococcus aureus is known to interfere with wound healing and represents a significant risk factor for wound infections and invasive disease. It is generally assumed that one individual is predominantly colonized by one S. aureus type. Nevertheless, patients with the genetic blistering disease epidermolysis bullosa (EB) often carry multiple S. aureus types. We therefore investigated whether different S. aureus types are present in individual wounds of EB patients and, if so, how they are spatially distributed. The staphylococcal topography in chronic wounds was mapped by replica-plating of used bandages and subsequent typing of S. aureus isolates. Individual chronic wounds of five patients contained up to six different S. aureus types. Unexpectedly, distinct S. aureus types formed micro-colonies that were located in close proximity and sometimes even overlapped. While some adjacent S. aureus isolates were closely related, others belonged to distinct molecular complexes. We conclude that the general assumption that one individual is predominantly colonized by one type of S. aureus does not apply to chronic wounds of EB patients. We consider this observation important, not only for EB patients, but also for other patients with chronic wounds in view of the potential risk for severe staphylococcal infections.

AB - The opportunistic pathogen Staphylococcus aureus is known to interfere with wound healing and represents a significant risk factor for wound infections and invasive disease. It is generally assumed that one individual is predominantly colonized by one S. aureus type. Nevertheless, patients with the genetic blistering disease epidermolysis bullosa (EB) often carry multiple S. aureus types. We therefore investigated whether different S. aureus types are present in individual wounds of EB patients and, if so, how they are spatially distributed. The staphylococcal topography in chronic wounds was mapped by replica-plating of used bandages and subsequent typing of S. aureus isolates. Individual chronic wounds of five patients contained up to six different S. aureus types. Unexpectedly, distinct S. aureus types formed micro-colonies that were located in close proximity and sometimes even overlapped. While some adjacent S. aureus isolates were closely related, others belonged to distinct molecular complexes. We conclude that the general assumption that one individual is predominantly colonized by one type of S. aureus does not apply to chronic wounds of EB patients. We consider this observation important, not only for EB patients, but also for other patients with chronic wounds in view of the potential risk for severe staphylococcal infections.

KW - Bandages/microbiology

KW - Epidermolysis Bullosa/microbiology

KW - Humans

KW - Phylogeny

KW - Staphylococcus aureus/isolation & purification

KW - Wounds and Injuries/microbiology

U2 - 10.1371/journal.pone.0067272

DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0067272

M3 - SCORING: Journal article

C2 - 23825650

VL - 8

SP - e67272

JO - PLOS ONE

JF - PLOS ONE

SN - 1932-6203

IS - 6

ER -