Staphylococcus aureus Membrane Vesicles and Its Potential Role in Bacterial Pathogenesis

The production of extracellular vesicles is a ubiquitous process in both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. Gram-negative bacteria produce and secrete outer membrane vesicles during in vitro culture and in vivo infection and their contribution to bacterial pathogenesis has been well characterized. However, little is known about extracellular vesicles in Gram-positive bacteria. Until now, only few Gram-positive bacterial species, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus anthracis, B. cereus, and B. subtilis, have been found to produce membrane vesicles (MVs), but their contribution to bacterial pathogenesis has not been understood. Here, I discuss S. aureus MVs in terms of MV production, interaction of MVs with host cells, and immune response against MVs to understand its potential role in S. aureus pathogenesis.