Using Different Bioinformatics Software Tools for Determining the Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Dependence in Staphhylococcus aureus

Abstract

Keywords: Staphylococcus aureus; CO 2 -dependent S. aureus strains;MUMmer; BLAST; Jalview; ClustalW IntroductionStaphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a Gram-positive, immobile and spherically shaped (around 1 μm diameter) bacterium that occurs in microscopic bunches similar to grapes, as shown in Figure 1. In general, S. aureus shows two different colonies; on agar dishes S. aureus forms huge golden yellow colonies, while on blood agar dishes it has haemolytic properties. In addition, S. aureus has the ability to produce the lactic acid as it is considered to be an optional anaerobic, which grows either by aerobic respiration or by fermentation [2].Commonly, S. aureus can be found on the skin, like part of the regular flora and in the respiratory tract of the human. Furthermore, this bacterium can be found as skin lesions or impetigo in the adult individual as an abscess in children or as mastitis in cattle [3,4]. It has been recorded that, around 20% of the populations are considered to have a long-term case of S. aureus. Moreover, there are different diseases that can be caused by S. aureus such as soft tissue infections, life-threatening septicaemia, superficial skin, endocarditis and toxic shock syndrome [5]. In most cases β-lactam antibiotics, clindamycin, tetracycline and sulpha drugs are using as treatments for the S. aureus infections. In the past, before introducing penicillin as a treatment in 1949, the major cause of mortality in patients was the hospital-acquired (nosocomial) infections, which are caused by S. aureus. After that, the penicillin-resistant S. aureus isolates were first discovered in hospitals. Then the first discovery of the Methicillin-resistant nosocomial S. aureus isolates was in 1961 [6]. Afterwards, in hospitals and intensive care units the Methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) became common worldwide. Nowadays, more than 30% of the bacterial nosocomial infections occurring in intensive care units are caused by MRSA. Previously, MRSA was confined only to hospitals and then new strains of MRSA arose in the community causing different infections in healthy humans. In the 1990s, an extreme Community-Acquired Methicillinresistant S. aureus (CA-MRSA) strain was discovered in Australia [7]. Normally, CA-MRSA has the ability to cause different infections such as a spontaneous abscess either on the skin or on the soft-tissues. In addition, the CA-MRSA strains can be spread quickly in a community, and can affect children and healthy individuals.Pinto and Merlino found that the CO2-dependent S. aureus was detected for the first time in 1955 [8]. These organisms can be found as an inhabitant of small colony variant (SCV) S. aureus, which can cause recurrent and persistent infections. In addition, SCV S. aureus AbstractStaphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a Gram-positive bacterium that occurs in microscopic bunches similar to grapes. In general, S. aureus shows two different colonies; on agar dishes S. aureus forms huge golden yellow colonies, while on blood agar dishes it has haemolytic prop...