Abstract

In this study, we attempted to determine the effects of iron-availability and the activity of the bacterial iron-uptake system (IUS) on the growth of Staphylococcus aureus in human peritoneal dialysate (HPD) solution. A streptonigrin-resistant S. aureus (SRSA) strain, isolated from S. aureus ATCC 6538, exhibited defective siderophore production, thereby resulting in ineffective uptake of iron from low iron-saturated transferrin. The growth of both strains was stimulated in HPD solution supplemented with FeCl_3 and holotransferrin, but growth was inhibited in HPD solution which had been supplemented with apotransferrin and dipyridyl. The SRSA strain grew less robustly than did its parental strain in both iron-supplemented HPD solution and regular HPD solution. These results indicate that iron-availability and siderophore-mediated IUS activity in particular, the ability to produce siderophores and thus capture iron from low iron-saturated transferrin play critical roles in the growth of S. aureus in HPD solution. Our results also indicated that the possibility of using iron chelators as therapeutic or preventive agents warrants further evaluation.

• Keywords: Staphylococcus aureus; human peritoneal dialysate; iron; siderophore