-
Article
Open AccessNovel method for detecting complement C3 deposition on Staphylococcus aureus
The primary host response to Staphylococcus aureus infection occurs via complement. Complement is an elegant evolutionarily conserved system, playing essential roles in early defences by working in concert with i...
-
Article
Open AccessA small-molecular inhibitor against Proteus mirabilis urease to treat catheter-associated urinary tract infections
Infection and blockage of indwelling urinary catheters is significant owing to its high incidence rate and severe medical consequences. Bacterial enzymes are employed as targets for small molecular interventio...
-
Article
Open AccessCigarette smoke exposure redirects Staphylococcus aureus to a virulence profile associated with persistent infection
Tobacco smoking represents the leading preventable cause of death worldwide. Smoking is a recognised risk factor for several pathologies and is detrimental to host immune surveillance and defence. However, the...
-
Article
Open AccessDisease-associated genotypes of the commensal skin bacterium Staphylococcus epidermidis
Some of the most common infectious diseases are caused by bacteria that naturally colonise humans asymptomatically. Combating these opportunistic pathogens requires an understanding of the traits that differen...
-
Article
Open AccessEpistasis analysis uncovers hidden antibiotic resistance-associated fitness costs hampering the evolution of MRSA
Fitness costs imposed on bacteria by antibiotic resistance mechanisms are believed to hamper their dissemination. The scale of these costs is highly variable. Some, including resistance of Staphylococcus aureus t...
-
Article
Open AccessCytolytic toxin production by Staphylococcus aureus is dependent upon the activity of the protoheme IX farnesyltransferase
Staphylococcus aureus is a medically important pathogen with an abundance of virulence factors that are necessary for survival within a host, including the production of cytolytic toxins....
-
Article
Clonal differences in Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia-associated mortality
The bacterium Staphylococcus aureus is a major human pathogen for which the emergence of antibiotic resistance is a global public health concern. Infection severity, and in particular bacteraemia-associated morta...
-
Article
Open AccessUsing functional genomics to decipher the complexity of microbial pathogenicity
From the first identification of bacteria as a causative agent of disease, researchers have been develo** methods and techniques to understand their pathogenic processes. For decades, this work has been limi...
-
Article
A new assay for rhamnolipid detection—important virulence factors of Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Rhamnolipids (RLs) are heterogeneous glycolipid molecules that are composed of one or two l-rhamnose sugars and one or two β-hydroxy fatty acids, which can vary in their length and branch size. They are biosurfac...
-
Article
From genotype to phenotype: can systems biology be used to predict Staphylococcus aureus virulence?
Predicting the virulence of a particular bacterial strain is a complex task that currently cannot be achieved from genome sequence data alone. In this Opinion article, Massey and colleagues present a framework...
