Cheung Gordon Y C, Otto Michael
Pathogen Molecular Genetics Section, Laboratory of Bacteriology, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 50 South Drive, Bethesda, MD 20814, USA.
Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Sep 26;24(19):14587. doi: 10.3390/ijms241914587.
Staphylococci are major causes of infections in mammals. Mammals are colonized by diverse staphylococcal species, often with moderate to strong host specificity, and colonization is a common source of infection. Staphylococcal infections of animals not only are of major importance for animal well-being but have considerable economic consequences, such as in the case of staphylococcal mastitis, which costs billions of dollars annually. Furthermore, pet animals can be temporary carriers of strains infectious to humans. Moreover, antimicrobial resistance is a great concern in livestock infections, as there is considerable antibiotic overuse, and resistant strains can be transferred to humans. With the number of working antibiotics continuously becoming smaller due to the concomitant spread of resistant strains, alternative approaches, such as anti-virulence, are increasingly being investigated to treat staphylococcal infections. For this, understanding the virulence mechanisms of animal staphylococcal pathogens is crucial. While many virulence factors have similar functions in humans as animals, there are increasingly frequent reports of host-specific virulence factors and mechanisms. Furthermore, we are only beginning to understand virulence mechanisms in animal-specific staphylococcal pathogens. This review gives an overview of animal infections caused by staphylococci and our knowledge about the virulence mechanisms involved.
葡萄球菌是哺乳动物感染的主要病因。哺乳动物被多种葡萄球菌物种定殖，通常具有中度至高度的宿主特异性，而定殖是感染的常见来源。动物的葡萄球菌感染不仅对动物健康至关重要，还会产生重大经济后果，例如葡萄球菌性乳腺炎，每年造成数十亿美元的损失。此外，宠物可能是对人类具有传染性的菌株的临时携带者。此外，抗菌药物耐药性在牲畜感染中是一个重大问题，因为存在大量抗生素过度使用的情况，而且耐药菌株可能会传播给人类。由于耐药菌株的同时传播，可用抗生素的数量持续减少，因此越来越多地研究诸如抗毒力等替代方法来治疗葡萄球菌感染。为此，了解动物葡萄球菌病原体的毒力机制至关重要。虽然许多毒力因子在人类和动物中具有相似功能，但关于宿主特异性毒力因子和机制的报道越来越多。此外，我们才刚刚开始了解动物特异性葡萄球菌病原体的毒力机制。本综述概述了由葡萄球菌引起的动物感染以及我们对所涉及的毒力机制的认识。
