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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Cell. Infect. Microbiol.
Sec. Clinical Infectious Diseases
Volume 14 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2024.1489280

Deciphering pathogenicity and virulence of the first Staphylococcus debuckii isolate from diabetic foot osteomyelitis

Provisionally accepted
Cynthia Abi Najem Cynthia Abi Najem 1Chloé Magnan Chloé Magnan 2Lucile Plumet Lucile Plumet 1Nour Ahmad-Mansour Nour Ahmad-Mansour 1Cassandra Pouget Cassandra Pouget 2Madjid Morsli Madjid Morsli 2Alix PANTEL Alix PANTEL 2Karima Kissa Karima Kissa 1Albert Sotto Albert Sotto 3Jean-Philippe Lavigne Jean-Philippe Lavigne 2Virginie MOLLE Virginie MOLLE 1*
  • 1 VBIC, INSERM U1047, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France
  • 2 VBIC, INSERM U1047, University of Montpellier, Department of Microbiology and Hospital Hygiene, CHU Nîmes, Nîmes, France
  • 3 VBIC, INSERM U1047, University of Montpellier, Department of Infectious Diseases, CHU Nîmes, Montpellier, France

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    This study identifies Staphylococcus debuckii as a new coagulase-negative staphylococcal species isolated from diabetic foot osteomyelitis (DFOM) and provides an in-depth analysis of its pathogenic and virulence profile, as well as demonstrating its potential to cause infection. The S. debuckii NSD001 strain was examined for its planktonic growth, biofilm production, and phagocytosis rates in murine macrophages compared to S. aureus NSA739. Additionally, persistence and replication within human osteoblasts were investigated, while the zebrafish embryo model was employed to assess virulence. Genomic sequencing and bioinformatic analysis were also conducted to identify genes associated with virulent potential. S. debuckii NSD001 exhibited robust planktonic growth and significant biofilm production, highlighting its capacity to initiate and maintain an infection, and demonstrated similar rates of phagocytosis as S. aureus NSA739 in murine macrophages, suggesting a mechanism for evading initial host defenses. The strain persisted and replicated within human osteoblasts, indicative of a strategy for intracellular survival and facilitation of chronic osteomyelitis. The zebrafish embryo model revealed a slower, yet fatal, virulence profile for S. debuckii NSD001 compared to the rapid lethality induced by S. aureus NSA739. Genomic sequencing and bioinformatic analysis uncovered various genes corroborating its virulence. S. debuckii NSD001 poses a significant concern in DFOM due to its ability to form biofilms and survive within host cells, presenting challenges for current treatment strategies. This underscores the need for updated clinical protocols and increased awareness among healthcare professionals to effectively manage infections caused by this emerging pathogen.

    Keywords: Staphylococcus debuckii, diabetic foot osteomyelitis, Coagulase-negative staphylococci, Biofilm formation, Intracellular survival, Zebrafish embryo model, pathogenicity, Virulence

    Received: 31 Aug 2024; Accepted: 27 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Abi Najem, Magnan, Plumet, Ahmad-Mansour, Pouget, Morsli, PANTEL, Kissa, Sotto, Lavigne and MOLLE. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Virginie MOLLE, VBIC, INSERM U1047, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.