Staphylococcus aureus as an intracellular pathogen: the role of small colony variants

Increasing evidence indicates that Staphylococcus aureus might be a facultative intracellular pathogen. In particular, certain subpopulations, called small colony variants (SCVs), seem to be well adapted to the intracellular milieu. When compared to ‘normal’ staphylococcal strains, SCVs show increas...

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Published in:Trends in microbiology (Regular ed.) Vol. 17; no. 2; pp. 54 - 58
Main Authors: Sendi, Parham, Proctor, Richard A.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.02.2009
Subjects:
Host-Pathogen Interactions
Internal Medicine
Phenotype
Staphylococcal Infections - microbiology
Staphylococcus aureus
Staphylococcus aureus - pathogenicity
Staphylococcus aureus - ultrastructure
ISSN:0966-842X, 1878-4380
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Increasing evidence indicates that Staphylococcus aureus might be a facultative intracellular pathogen. In particular, certain subpopulations, called small colony variants (SCVs), seem to be well adapted to the intracellular milieu. When compared to ‘normal’ staphylococcal strains, SCVs show increased uptake by host cells, resistance to intracellular defenses and reduced stimulation of host defenses. We propose that the ability to form two subpopulations with different phenotypes might allow S. aureus the option for both extra- cellular and intra-cellular survival in the host.
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ISSN:0966-842X
1878-4380
DOI:10.1016/j.tim.2008.11.004