Staphylococcus aureus
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyIntracellular Staphylococcus aureus Perturbs the Host Cell Ca2+ Homeostasis To Promote Cell DeathDespite being regarded as an extracellular bacterium, the pathogen Staphylococcus aureus can invade and survive within human cells. The intracellular niche is considered a hideout from the host immune system and antibiotic treatment and allows bacterial proliferation.
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyComprehensive Genomic Investigation of Adaptive Mutations Driving the Low-Level Oxacillin Resistance Phenotype in Staphylococcus aureusThe majority of Staphylococcus aureus strains causing human disease are methicillin-susceptible (MSSA) and can be treated with antistaphylococcal penicillins (such as oxacillin). While acquisition of the mec gene represents the main resistance mechanism to oxacillin, S. aureus can acquire...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyThe Expression of von Willebrand Factor-Binding Protein Determines Joint-Invading Capacity of Staphylococcus aureus, a Core Mechanism of Septic ArthritisSeptic arthritis remains one of the most dangerous joint diseases with a rapidly progressive disease character. Despite advances in the use of antibiotics, permanent reductions in joint function due to joint deformation and deleterious contractures occur in up to 50% of patients with septic arthritis. So far, it is still largely unknown how S. aureus initiates and...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyPopulation Analysis of Staphylococcus aureus Reveals a Cryptic, Highly Prevalent Superantigen SElW That Contributes to the Pathogenesis of BacteremiaStaphylococcus aureus is an important human and animal pathogen associated with an array of diseases, including life-threatening necrotizing pneumonia and infective endocarditis. The success of S. aureus as a pathogen has been linked in part to its ability to manipulate the host immune response...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyA Small-Molecule Modulator of Metal Homeostasis in Gram-Positive PathogensStaphylococcus aureus is a leading agent of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections in the world. S. aureus tightly controls metal homeostasis during infection, and disruption of metal uptake systems impairs staphylococcal virulence. We identified small molecules that interfere with metal handling...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyIdentification of a Novel LysR-Type Transcriptional Regulator in Staphylococcus aureus That Is Crucial for Secondary Tissue Colonization during Metastatic Bloodstream InfectionStaphylococcus aureus is an important pathogen that can disseminate via the bloodstream and establish metastatic infections in distant organs. To achieve a better understanding of the bacterial factors facilitating the development of these metastatic infections, we used in this study a Staphylococcus...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyLipoprotein N-Acylation in Staphylococcus aureus Is Catalyzed by a Two-Component Acyl Transferase SystemAlthough it has long been known that S. aureus forms triacylated Lpps, a lack of homologs to known N-acylation genes found in Gram-negative bacteria has until now precluded identification of the genes responsible for this Lpp modification. Here, we demonstrate N-terminal Lpp acylation and chemotype conversion to the tri-acylated state is directed by a unique...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyStaphylococcus aureus Lipase 1 Enhances Influenza A Virus ReplicationInfluenza A virus (IAV) causes annual epidemics and sporadic pandemics of respiratory disease. Secondary bacterial coinfection by organisms such as Staphylococcus aureus is the most common complication of primary IAV infection and is associated with high levels of morbidity and mortality. Here, we report the first identified...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyGenotypic and Phenotypic Diversity of Staphylococcus aureus Isolates from Cystic Fibrosis Patient Lung Infections and Their Interactions with Pseudomonas aeruginosaStaphylococcus aureus is now the most frequently detected recognized pathogen in the lungs of individuals who have cystic fibrosis (CF) in the United States, followed closely by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. When these pathogens are found to coinfect the CF lung, patients have a significantly worse...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionConvergent Evolution of Neutralizing Antibodies to Staphylococcus aureus γ-Hemolysin C That Recognize an Immunodominant Primary Sequence-Dependent B-Cell EpitopeStaphylococcus aureus infection is a major public health threat in part due to the spread of antibiotic resistance and repeated failures to develop a protective vaccine. Infection is associated with production of virulence factors that include exotoxins that attack host barriers and cellular defenses, such as the leukocidin (Luk) family of bicomponent pore-forming...