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Journal of Bacteriology, April 2006, p. 2726-2729, Vol. 188, No. 7
0021-9193/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JB.188.7.2726-2729.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

ß-Lactam Antibiotics Induce the SOS Response and Horizontal Transfer of Virulence Factors in Staphylococcus aureus

Elisa Maiques,1 Carles Úbeda,1 Susana Campoy,2 Noelia Salvador,3 Íñigo Lasa,4 Richard P. Novick,5 Jordi Barbé,3 and José R. Penadés1,6*

Departamento de Química, Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Universidad Cardenal Herrera-CEU, 46113 Moncada, Valencia,1 Centre de Recerca en Sanitat Animal (CReSA),2 Departament de Genètica i Microbiologia, Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra,3 Instituto de Agrobiotecnología y Recursos Naturales, CSIC—Universidad Pública de Navarra, 31006 Pamplona, Navarra,4 Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Animal, Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias (CITA-IVIA), Apdo. 187, 12.400 Segorbe, Castellón, Spain,6 Skirball Institute, New York University Medical Center, 540 First Avenue, New York, New York 100165

Received 18 October 2005/ Accepted 17 January 2006

Antibiotics that interfere with DNA replication and cell viability activate the SOS response. In Staphylococcus aureus, the antibiotic-induced SOS response promotes replication and high-frequency horizontal transfer of pathogenicity island-encoded virulence factors. Here we report that ß-lactams induce a bona fide SOS response in S. aureus, characterized by the activation of the RecA and LexA proteins, the two master regulators of the SOS response. Moreover, we show that ß-lactams are capable of triggering staphylococcal prophage induction in S. aureus lysogens. Consequently, and as previously described for SOS induction by commonly used fluoroquinolone antibiotics, ß-lactam-mediated phage induction also resulted in replication and high-frequency transfer of the staphylococcal pathogenicity islands, showing that such antibiotics may have the unintended consequence of promoting the spread of bacterial virulence factors.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Animal, Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias (CITA-IVIA), Apdo. 187, 12.400 Segorbe, Castellón, Spain. Phone: 34 964 71 21 15. Fax: 34 964 71 02 18. E-mail: jpenades{at}ivia.es.

Journal of Bacteriology, April 2006, p. 2726-2729, Vol. 188, No. 7
0021-9193/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/JB.188.7.2726-2729.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



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