TABLE 3.
In vitro characterization of 23 S. aureus isolates from CF sputa
| Groupd and isolate | Result of hemolysisb
|
GTe | Cc | Northern analysisa
|
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RNAIII
|
spa
|
hla
|
|||||||||
| R | S | 4°C | exp | p exp | exp | p exp | exp | p exp | |||
| Group I | |||||||||||
| 9B | + | + | + | 20 | y | − | ++ | + | − | +/− | +/− |
| 10A | + | + | + | 36 | y | +/− | +++ | +/− | − | − | + |
| 10B | ++ | ++ | +++ | 36 | w | − | +++ | ++ | + | − | + |
| 11 | ++ | ++ | +++ | 62 | w | + | +++ | +/− | − | − | + |
| 13A | ++ | ++ | +++ | 48 | w | +/− | ++ | +/− | +/− | − | + |
| 17 | + | + | ++ | 17 | w | − | ++ | + | − | − | +/− |
| 20 | + | + | + | 36 | w | +/− | ++ | +/− | − | − | + |
| 23 | ++ | ++ | +++ | 2 | w | ++ | +++ | ++ | + | − | + |
| 24 | + | ++ | +++ | 61 | w | +/− | +++ | + | +/− | +/− | + |
| 25 | − | + | + | 2 | w | − | +++ | + | +/− | − | +/− |
| 29 | + | + | ++ | 17 | y | +/− | +++ | +/− | − | − | + |
| Group II | |||||||||||
| 7B | − | − | + | 1 | y | − | − | + | ++ | − | +/− |
| 7C | − | − | + | 1 | w | − | − | + | ++ | − | + |
| 8B | − | + | ++ | 2 | w | − | − | ++ | ++ | − | +/− |
| 9A | − | − | + | 20 | y | − | − | + | ++ | +/− | +/− |
| 12 | − | − | − | 19 | w | − | − | ++ | ++ | +/− | +/− |
| 18 | − | − | ++ | 19 | w | − | − | + | + | − | +/− |
| 27 | − | − | ++ | 1 | w | − | − | + | ++ | − | + |
| 32 | − | − | +/− | 20 | y | − | +/− | ++ | ++ | − | + |
| Group III | |||||||||||
| 8A | + | + | ++ | 19 | y | − | ++ | + | ++ | − | +/− |
| 8C | ++ | ++ | +++ | 60 | w | − | ++ | + | ++ | − | +/− |
| 13B | ++ | ++ | ++ | 63 | y | − | + | + | ++ | − | +/− |
| 14 | ++ | ++ | +++ | 36 | w | − | ++ | − | +/− | +/− | + |
| Group IV | |||||||||||
| ISP479C | ++ | ++ | ++ | w | + | +++ | +/− | − | +/− | ++ | |
| DU5723 | ++ | ++ | ++ | w | + | +++ | − | − | +/− | ++ | |
| ISP546 | − | − | − | w | − | − | + | ++ | − | − | |
For Northern analysis RNA was isolated in exponential (exp) and postexponential (p exp) growth phases and specific transcripts were probed with digoxigenin-labeled gene probes for RNAIII, spa, and hla. Signals were detected by chemiluminescence and characterized as follows: −, none; +/−, weak; +, median; ++, strong; +++, very strong.
Hemolysis was determined on rabbit (R) and sheep (S) blood agar plates and after incubating plates at 4°C. Responses were characterized as follows: −, none; +/−, weak; +, median; ++, strong; +++, very strong.
C, colony appearance, characterized as yellow (y) or white (w) colonies on sheep blood agar plates.
Group I, agr-positive strains; group II, agr-deficient strains; group III, agr-positive strains with inverse spa expression; and group IV, prototypic strains.
GT, genome type.