Determining impact of growth phases on capacity of staphylococcus aureus to adhere to and invade host cells

One of the largest concerns in public health is the continual emergence of multidrug-resistant bacterial pathogens. The resistance of bacterial pathogens to specific drugs presents a significant problem because it severely limits treatment options. Staphylococcus aureus is a particularly problematic pathogen that is prevalent in human and animal populations. Data on this bacterium have shown that S. aureus is capable of invading different types of host cells, suggesting that multiple mechanisms are behind its ability to thwart a host immune system and evade the toxicity of some antibiotics. S. aureus produces a myriad of cell wall-associated molecules, such as fibronectin-binding proteins, which assist in the adhesion and invasion of the bacterial cell to a host cell. Understanding the expression of these cell wall-associated molecules at different growth phases will improve general knowledge on how this bacterium can adhere to and invade a host. In our previous work, we found that different types of human MRSA isolates possess different abilities to adhere to and invade epithelial cells. In a recent study we conducted, it was found that S. aureus taken from the exponential phase of growth, when compared to S. aureus taken from the stationary phase, had a noticeable higher ability to invade host cells.