Data from: Biofilm morphotypes and population structure among Staphylococcus epidermidis from commensal and clinical samples
Data files
Mar 16, 2016 version files 86.34 MB
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Dryad data.xlsx
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Dryad seq.zip
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Abstract
Bacterial species comprise related genotypes that can display divergent phenotypes with
important clinical implications. Staphylococcus epidermidis is a common cause of
nosocomial infections and, critical to its pathogenesis, is its ability to adhere and form
biofilms on surfaces, thereby moderating the effect of the host’s immune response and
antibiotics. Commensal S. epidermidis populations are thought to differ from those associated
with disease in factors involved in adhesion and biofilm accumulation. We quantified the
differences in biofilm formation in 98 S. epidermidis isolates from various sources, and
investigated population structure based on ribosomal multilocus typing (rMLST) and the
presence/absence of genes involved in adhesion and biofilm formation. All isolates were able
to adhere and form biofilms in in vitro growth assays and confocal microscopy allowed
classification into 5 biofilm morphotypes based on their thickness, biovolume and roughness.
Phylogenetic reconstruction grouped isolates into three separate clades, with the isolates in
the main disease associated clade displaying diversity in morphotype. Of the biofilm
morphology characteristics, only biofilm thickness had a significant association with clade
distribution. The distribution of some known adhesion-associated genes (aap and sesE)
among isolates showed a significant association with the species clonal frame, with the
exception of. These data challenge the assumption that biofilm-associated genes, such as
those on the ica operon, are genetic markers for less invasive S. epidermidis isolates, and
suggest that phenotypic characteristics, such as adhesion and biofilm formation, are not fixed
by clonal descent but are influenced by the presence of various genes that are mobile among
lineages.