Pilus Involvement in Streptococcus gallolyticus Infective Endocarditis

In vitro and animal model experiments identified a pilus that functions as a virulence factor.

Bloodstream infection or infective endocarditis (IE) caused by Streptococcus gallolyticus subsp. gallolyticus (previously called Streptococcus bovis biotype 1) is associated with colon cancer; the virulence and colonization factors of this bacterium remain largely unknown. Investigators in Europe recently performed a series of experiments to examine whether pilus expression in S. gallolyticus might play a role in IE pathogenesis. The pil1 pilus locus of a strain recovered from a patient with colorectal cancer–associated IE was used for study. This locus is present in 90% of S. gallolyticus IE clinical isolates.

The locus was composed of three genes: two encoding LPXTG proteins and one encoding sortase C. Immunogold electron microscopy demons…

Reviewing Author

Larry M. Baddour, MD

Disclosures

RoyaltiesUpToDate, Inc. (Authorship duties)

Larry M. Baddour, MD

Disclosures

RoyaltiesUpToDate, Inc. (Authorship duties)