Molecular basis of bacterial small-colony variants / Base moléculaire des variants à petites colonies chez les bactéries

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Staphylococcus aureus (SA) and antibiotic resistant methicillin-resistant SA (MRSA) often cause chronic and difficult-to-treat infections. SA/MRSA are able to generate Small-Colony Variants (SCVs), which have been linked to persistent infections. The ability of SA/MRSA to switch to SCVs and vice versa seems to be an integral part the infection process leading to persistence. Compared to their normal counterparts, bacterial SCVs produce high amounts of protective biofilms (extracellular matrix in which bacteria are embedded). SCVs also have a great ability to survive and persist within host cells, a property that protects them from the host immune response. The switch to SCVs also facilitates the development of antibiotic resistance making SA/MRSA infections even more difficult to treat.