Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has evolved numerous antimicrobial resistance mechanisms and is identified as a serious public health threat by the World Health Organization and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The glycopeptide vancomycin (VAN) remains a cornerstone of therapy for severe MRSA infections despite increasing reports of therapeutic failure in hospitalized ...

Staphylococcus haemolyticus is a skin commensal emerging as an opportunistic pathogen. Nosocomial isolates of S. haemolyticus are the most antibiotic resistant members of the coagulase negative staphylococci (CoNS), but information about other S. haemolyticus virulence factors is scarce. Bacterial membrane vesicles (MVs) are one mediator of virulence by enabling secretion and long distance delivery ...

The present investigation evaluated the effect of chitin (5% supplementation) on the adherent aerobic intestinal microbiota of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.). One hundred and seventy three isolates were isolated but 34 isolates died prior to positive identification. Sixty four out of 139 autochthonous gut bacteria were further identified by 16S rRNA gene sequencing and further tested for protease, ...

<i>Enterococcus faecium</i> is a commensal but also a bacteremia causing pathogen, which is inherently resistant to several antimicrobials and has a great ability to acquire new traits. Bacterial membrane vesicles (MVs) are increasingly recognized as a mode of cell-free communication and a way to deliver virulence factors and/or antimicrobial resistance determinants. These features make MVs interesting ...

Using <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> as an infection host model for <i>Vibrio cholerae</i> predator interactions, we discovered a bacterial cytotoxin, MakA, whose function as a virulence factor relies on secretion via the flagellum channel in a proton motive force-dependent manner. The MakA protein is expressed from the polycistronic <i>makDCBA</i> (<i>m</i>otility-<i>a</i>ssociated <i>k</i>illing ...

In the present study the intestinal sac method (ex vivo) was used to evaluate the interactions between lactic acid bacteria and staphylococci in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract of beluga (Huso huso). The distal intestine (DI) of beluga was exposed ex vivo to Staphylococcus aureus, Leuconostoc mesenteroides and Lactobacillus plantarum. Histological changes following bacterial exposure were assessed ...

<i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> is known as a frequent colonizer of the skin and mucosa. Among bacterial factors involved in colonization are adhesins such as the microbial surface components recognizing adhesive matrix molecules (MSCRAMMs). Serine aspartate repeat containing protein D (SdrD) is involved in adhesion to human squamous cells isolated from the nose. Here, we identify Desmoglein 1 ...

Given the link between the compelling impact of Staphylococcus aureus colonization on the risk and outcome of infection, strategies to prevent nasal colonization could be an appealing method of fighting infection. The ability of S. aureus to colonize and infect a host is a balance between its multitudes of virulence factors and the host immune defence mechanisms. Despite the multiple bacterial factors ...

<i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> produces membrane-derived vesicles (MVs), which share functional properties to outer membrane vesicles. Atomic force microscopy revealed that <i>S. aureus</i>-derived MVs are associated with the bacterial surface or released into the surrounding environment depending on bacterial growth conditions. By using a comparative proteomic approach, a total of 131 and 617 proteins ...

Bacterial extracellular vesicles (EVs) have a vital role in bacterial pathogenesis. However, to date, the small RNA-cargo of EVs released by the opportunistic pathogen Staphylococcus aureus has not been characterized. Here, we shed light on the association of small RNAs with EVs secreted by S. aureus MSSA476 cultured in iron-depleted bacteriologic media supplemented with a subinhibitory dosage of ...