Staphylococcus aureus
Bacterial InfectionsThree-Dimensional In Vitro Staphylococcus aureus Abscess Communities Display Antibiotic Tolerance and Protection from Neutrophil ClearanceStaphylococcus aureus is a prominent human pathogen in bone and soft-tissue infections. Pathophysiology involves abscess formation, which consists of central staphylococcal abscess communities (SACs), surrounded by a fibrin pseudocapsule and infiltrating immune cells. Protection against the ingress of immune cells such as neutrophils, or tolerance to antibiotics,...
Host Response and Inflammation | SpotlightDifferential Induction of Type I and III Interferons by Staphylococcus aureusStaphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of bacterial pneumonia, and we have shown previously that type I interferon (IFN) contributes to the pathogenesis of this disease. In this study, we screened 75 S. aureus strains for their ability to induce type I and III IFN. Both cytokine pathways were...
Molecular PathogenesisA Small Membrane Stabilizing Protein Critical to the Pathogenicity of Staphylococcus aureusStaphylococcus aureus is a major human pathogen, and the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains is making all types of S. aureus infections more challenging to treat. With a pressing need to develop alternative control strategies to use alongside or in place of conventional antibiotics, one...
Molecular PathogenesisStaphylococcus aureus Fatty Acid Kinase FakA Modulates Pathogenesis during Skin Infection via ProteasesStaphylococcus aureus fatty acid kinase FakA is necessary for the incorporation of exogenous fatty acids into the lipid membrane. We previously demonstrated that the inactivation of fakA leads to decreased α-hemolysin (Hla) production but increased expression of the proteases SspAB and aureolysin in vitro, and that the ΔfakA mutant causes...
MinireviewStaphylococcus aureus Osteomyelitis: Bone, Bugs, and SurgeryOsteomyelitis, or inflammation of bone, is most commonly caused by invasion of bacterial pathogens into the skeleton. Bacterial osteomyelitis is notoriously difficult to treat, in part because of the widespread antimicrobial resistance in the preeminent etiologic agent, the Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus. Bacterial osteomyelitis triggers pathological...
Host Response and InflammationCathelicidins Mitigate Staphylococcus aureus Mastitis and Reduce Bacterial Invasion in Murine Mammary EpitheliumStaphylococcus aureus, an important cause of mastitis in mammals, is becoming increasingly problematic due to the development of resistance to conventional antibiotics. The ability of S. aureus to invade host cells is key to its propensity to evade immune defense and antibiotics. This study focuses...
Bacterial InfectionsDisruption of Phosphate Homeostasis Sensitizes Staphylococcus aureus to Nutritional ImmunityTo control infection, mammals actively withhold essential nutrients, including the transition metal manganese, by a process termed nutritional immunity. A critical component of this host response is the manganese-chelating protein calprotectin. While many bacterial mechanisms for overcoming nutritional immunity have been identified, the intersection between metal starvation and other essential inorganic nutrients has not been...
Cellular Microbiology: Pathogen-Host Cell Molecular InteractionsDe Novo Purine Biosynthesis Is Required for Intracellular Growth of Staphylococcus aureus and for the Hypervirulence Phenotype of a purR MutantStaphylococcus aureus is a noted human and animal pathogen. Despite decades of research on this important bacterium, there are still many unanswered questions regarding the pathogenic mechanisms it uses to infect the mammalian host. This can be attributed to it possessing a plethora of virulence factors and complex virulence factor and metabolic regulation. PurR, the...
Host Response and InflammationSuppression of Staphylococcus aureus Superantigen-Independent Interferon Gamma Response by a Probiotic PolysaccharideStaphylococcus aureus is a Gram-positive opportunistic pathogen that causes a variety of diseases. Bloodstream infection is the most severe, with mortality rates reaching 20 to 50%. Exopolysaccharide (EPS) from the probiotic Bacillus subtilis reduces bacterial burden and inflammation during...
Microbial Immunity and VaccinesUnbiased Identification of Immunogenic Staphylococcus aureus Leukotoxin B-Cell EpitopesUnbiased identification of individual immunogenic B-cell epitopes in major antigens of a pathogen remains a technology challenge for vaccine discovery. We therefore developed a platform for rapid phage display screening of deep recombinant libraries consisting of as few as one major pathogen antigen. Using the bicomponent pore-forming leukocidin (Luk) exotoxins of the major pathogen...