Staphylococcus aureus
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyEvolution and Global Transmission of a Multidrug-Resistant, Community-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Lineage from the Indian SubcontinentThe Bengal Bay clone (ST772) is a community-associated and multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus lineage first isolated from Bangladesh and India in 2004. In this study, we showed that the Bengal Bay clone emerged from a virulent progenitor circulating on the Indian subcontinent. Its subsequent global transmission was associated with travel or family contact in...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyThe Toxin-Antitoxin MazEF Drives Staphylococcus aureus Biofilm Formation, Antibiotic Tolerance, and Chronic InfectionSurgical infections are one of the most common types of infections encountered in a hospital. Staphylococcus aureus is the most common pathogen associated with this infection. These infections are resilient and difficult to eradicate, as the bacteria form biofilm, a community of bacteria held together by an extracellular matrix. Compared to bacteria that are...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyThe Staphylococcus aureus Transcriptome during Cystic Fibrosis Lung InfectionAlthough bacteria have been studied in infection for over 100 years, the majority of these studies have utilized laboratory and animal models that often have unknown relevance to the human infections they are meant to represent. A primary challenge has been to assess bacterial physiology in the human host. To address this challenge, we performed transcriptomics of S. aureus...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyStaphylococcus aureus Exploits the Host Apoptotic Pathway To Persist during InfectionCaspase-3 controls the apoptotic pathway, a form of programmed cell death designed to be immunologically silent. Polymorphisms leading to reduced caspase-3 activity are associated with variable effects on tumorigenesis and yet arise frequently. Staphylococcus aureus is a human commensal and a frequent cause of soft tissue and bloodstream infections. Successful...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionHuman VH1-69 Gene-Encoded Human Monoclonal Antibodies against Staphylococcus aureus IsdB Use at Least Three Distinct Modes of Binding To Inhibit Bacterial Growth and PathogenesisThe human pathogen Staphylococcus aureus causes a wide range of infections, including skin abscesses and sepsis. There is currently no licensed vaccine to prevent S. aureus infection, and its treatment has become increasingly difficult due to antibiotic resistance. One potential way to inhibit...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyStaphylococcus aureus Infects Osteoclasts and Replicates IntracellularlyThe inflammation of bone tissue is called osteomyelitis, and most cases are caused by an infection with the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus. To date, the bone-building cells, osteoblasts, have been implicated in the progression of these infections, but not much is known about how the bone-resorbing cells, osteoclasts, participate. In this study, we show that...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyArachidonic Acid Kills Staphylococcus aureus through a Lipid Peroxidation MechanismDespite the ability of the human immune system to generate a plethora of molecules to control Staphylococcus aureus infections, S. aureus is among the pathogens with the greatest impact on human health. One class of host molecules toxic to...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyStochastic Variation in Expression of the Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle Produces Persister CellsPersister cells are rare phenotypic variants that are able to survive antibiotic treatment. Unlike resistant bacteria, which have specific mechanisms to prevent antibiotics from binding to their targets, persisters evade antibiotic killing by entering a tolerant nongrowing state. Persisters have been implicated in chronic infections in multiple species, and growing evidence suggests that persister cells are responsible for many cases of...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyFinding of Agr Phase Variants in Staphylococcus aureusStaphylococcus aureus is responsible for a broad range of infections. This pathogen has a vast arsenal of virulence factors at its disposal, but avirulent strains are frequently isolated as the cause of clinical infections. These isolates have a mutated agr locus and have been believed to have no evolutionary future. Here we show that a fraction of Agr-...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyDisruption of Glycolysis by Nutritional Immunity Activates a Two-Component System That Coordinates a Metabolic and Antihost Response by Staphylococcus aureusTwo-component regulatory systems enable bacteria to adapt to changes in their environment during infection by altering gene expression and coordinating antihost responses. Despite the critical role of two-component systems in bacterial survival and pathogenesis, the activating signals for most of these regulators remain unidentified. This is exemplified by ArlRS, a ...