ArticlePloS one2013
Phenotypic variants of staphylococci and their underlying population distributions following exposure to stress.
Article in PloS one, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 42 papers.
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Who cites it
42 citing papers in PubMed, 68 citations in OpenAlex.
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- Cytoplasmic amino acid profiles of clinical and ATCC 29213 strains of Staphylococcus aureus harvested at different growth phases.Biomolecules & biomedicine · 2023Article
- Significant Changes in Cytoplasmic Amino Acid Composition Occur in the Transition between Mid-Exponential and Stationary Phases of Growth ofMicroorganisms · 2023Article
- The first genomic characterization of a stable, hemin-dependent small colony variant strain ofFrontiers in microbiology · 2023Article
- Combinatorial efficacy of Manuka honey and antibiotics in theFrontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2023Article
- Review on skeletal disorders caused byThe veterinary quarterly · 2022Review
- An in vitro and ex vivo wound infection model to test topical and systemic treatment with antibiotics.Journal of applied microbiology · 2022Article
- Changes in Amino Acid Metabolism ofMicroorganisms · 2022Article
- Iron restriction induces the small-colony variant phenotype inFrontiers in microbiology · 2022Article
- Seminal and vagino-uterine microbiome and their individual and interactive effects on cattle fertility.Frontiers in microbiology · 2022Review
- Optimal dose of lactoferrin reduces the resilience of in vitro Staphylococcus aureus colonies.PloS one · 2022Article
- The road to success of coagulase-negative staphylococci: clinical significance of small colony variants and their pathogenic role in persistent infections.European journal of clinical microbiology & infectious diseases : official publication of the European Society of Clinical Microbiology · 2021Review
- Rapid detection and identification of bacteria directly from whole blood with light scattering spectroscopy based biosensor.Sensors and actuators. B, Chemical · 2021Article
- RNA thermoswitches modulate Staphylococcus aureus adaptation to ambient temperatures.Nucleic acids research · 2021Article
- Molecular reprogramming and phenotype switching inProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2021Article
- Virulence Factors in Coagulase-Negative Staphylococci.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
This study investigated whether alterations in environmental conditions would induce the formation of small colony variant phenotypes (SCV) with associated changes in cell morphology and ultra-structure in S. aureus, s. epidermidis, and S. lugdunensis. Wild-type clinical isolates were exposed to low temperature (4 °C), antibiotic stress (penicillin G and vancomycin; 0-10,000 µg mL(-1)), pH stress (pH 3-9) and osmotic challenge (NaCl concentrations of 0-20%). Changes in cell diameter, cell-wall thickness, and population distribution changes (n ≥ 300) were assessed via scanning and transmission electron microscopy (SEM and TEM), and compared to control populations. Our analyses found that prolonged exposure to all treatments resulted in the subsequent formation of SCV phenotypes. Observed SCVs manifested as minute colonies with reduced haemolysis and pigmentation (NaCl, pH and 4°C treatments), or complete lack thereof (antibiotic treatments). SEM comparison analyses revealed significantly smaller cell sizes for SCV populations except in S. aureus and S. epidermidis 10% NaCl, and S. epidermidis 4 °C (p<0.05). Shifts in population distribution patterns were also observed with distinct sub-populations of smaller cells appearing for S. epidermidis, and S. lugdunensis. TEM analyses revealed significantly thicker cell-walls in all treatments and species except S. lugdunensis exposed to 4 °C. These findings suggest that staphylococci adapted to environmental stresses by altering their cell size and wall thickness which could represent the formation of altered phenotypes which facilitate survival under harsh conditions. The phenotypic response was governed by the type of prevailing environmental stress regime leading to appropriate alterations in ultra-structure and size, suggesting downstream changes in gene expression, the proteome, and metabolome.
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