Role of Staphylococcal Pathogen Associated Molecular Patterns in Septic Arthritis

Staphylococcus aureus is the commonly found bacteria in septic arthritis. Methicillin resistant S.aureus (MRSA) is the most common cause of community-onset adult septic arthritis. It has been documented that S.aureus cell surface associated components can induce sepsis, organ injury, and septic arthritis. 

S.aureus mutants that are defective in production of particular cell wall components like O-aetylation of peptidoglycan, wall teichoic acids, surface proteins, lipoproteins and lipoteichoic acids have been generated.

The team would like to validate the role of these cell wall components (rigidity, cross-linking and solubility of the peptidoglycan, presence of peptidoglycan linked surface proteins, wall teichoic acids, lipoteichoic acids and lipoproteins, etc.) in causing septic arthritis in mice model.

The aim of this project will be to validate and identify the following:

• To identify the common Staphylococcal PAMPs, which induce septic arthritis.
• To identify Staphylococcal mutants that can activate least production of inflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), IL-6, IL-8 and granulocytemacrophage colony-stimulating factor and IL-1α.
• Once the most potent PAMP is identified, the aim is to generate and validate the purified antibody against this particular PAMP which could play a role in the prevention of septic arthritis.