Staphylococcus aureus: A pathogen with still unresolved issues

•Staphylococcus aureus is still a major human pathogen with unresolved issues.•Antibiotics use is not the sole driving force of MRSA epidemics.•S. aureus transition from commensal to invasive state is poorly understood.•The mechanisms of toxin upregulation in hypervirulent strains are unknown.•S. au...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Infection, genetics and evolution genetics and evolution, 2014-01, Vol.21, p.510-514
Main Authors: Rasigade, Jean-Philippe, Vandenesch, François
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology
Bacterial toxins
Bacterial Toxins - metabolism
Bacterial Vaccines - pharmacology
Bacteriology
Gene expression regulation
Humans
Immunology
Life Sciences
Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus - drug effects
Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus - pathogenicity
Microbiology and Parasitology
Molecular epidemiology
MRSA
Staphylococcal Infections - epidemiology
Staphylococcus aureus
Vaccine strategy
Virology
Virulence Factors - metabolism
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:•Staphylococcus aureus is still a major human pathogen with unresolved issues.•Antibiotics use is not the sole driving force of MRSA epidemics.•S. aureus transition from commensal to invasive state is poorly understood.•The mechanisms of toxin upregulation in hypervirulent strains are unknown.•S. aureus candidate vaccine strategies have failed so far. Staphylococcus aureus is a major human pathogen, and considerable research efforts have been put forward to improve our understanding of its complex pathogenesis. In spite of these efforts, the burden of staphylococcal infections is still on the rise. This review focuses on a selected set of crucial unresolved questions regarding this pathogen, namely: (i) the nature of the driving forces behind the rise and decline of methicillin-resistant S.aureus (MRSA) clones; (ii) the mechanisms by which a commensal becomes a pathogen; (iii) the molecular underpinnings of toxin overexpression in hypervirulent MRSA clones such as USA300; and (iv) the repeated failures of anti-S.aureus vaccine approaches.
ISSN:1567-1348
1567-7257
DOI:10.1016/j.meegid.2013.08.018