S. aureus is clinically recognised as an important pathogen in terms of human infection. Despite its common presence in the natural microbiota of the human body, S. aureus is one of the leading causes of nosocomial infections. Infection with this pathogen can lead to a range of disorders from relatively mild skin infections to life threatening illness such as osteomyelitis. The ability of S. aureus to control expression of a virulent phenotype according to environmental conditions is regulated by the agr QS pathway [1]. Many of the factors involved in virulence, such as exotoxin production, as well as products associated with the formation of biofilm have been shown to be controlled by the agr system [2, pdf 575], see table 1.
In vitro studies
In vitro studies