BACKGROUND Staphylococcus aureus is a common and significant pathogen in cystic fibrosis. We sought to determine if quantitative PCR (qPCR) and 16S rRNA gene sequencing could provide a rapid, culture-independent approach to the identification of S. aureus airway infections. METHODS We examined the sensitivity and specificity of two qPCR assays, targeting the femA and 16S rRNA gene, using cult...

The aim of this study was to investigate the carriage of vancomycin-resistance genes by Staphylococcus aureus found in drinking water supplies. A total of 100 samples (potable water and faucet swabs) were analyzed for the presence of S. aureus and their carriage of vancomycin-resistance genes. Mannitol salt agar was used for the isolation of staphylococci, and confirmation of S. aureus was carr...

The anterior nares are a primary ecologic niche for Staphylococcus aureus, and nasal colonization by this opportunistic pathogen increases the risk of development of S. aureus infection. Clearance of S. aureus nasal colonization greatly reduces this risk. Mupirocin ointment is the current standard of care for clearance of S. aureus nasal colonization, but resistance to this antibiotic is emergi...

BACKGROUND Previous work showed that piperazinyl-cross-linked ciprofloxacin dimer exhibits good bacteriostatic activity with Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus; lethal activity was not measured. Subsequently, the dimer failed to kill Mycobacterium smegmatis but blocked growth. Whether the compound is lethal with non-mycobacterial species is not known. METHODS Bacteriostatic an...

To understand Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage and its relationship with subsequent disease, insight into the natural (nonclinical) bacterial population structure is essential. This study investigated whether the distributions of S. aureus genotypes that cause colonization differ by geographic locales. High-throughput amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) analysis was performed on n...

OBJECTIVES Staphylococcus aureus colonization of the skin and the nostrils remains a major cause of surgical-site infections despite preoperative and preventive procedures. To date, many compounds have been used for S. aureus decolonization, including mupirocin ointments and antiseptics, with variable results. The emergence of mupirocin-resistant S. aureus strains has led to the search for new ...

1 2 The cell surface-associated extracellular adherence protein (Eap) mediates adherence of 3 Staphylococcus aureus to host extracellular matrix components, and inhibits inflammation, 4 wound healing and angiogenesis. A well-characterized collection of S. aureus and non5 S. aureus staphylococcal isolates (n = 813) was tested for the presence of the Eap-encoding 6 gene (eap) by PCR to investigat...

BACKGROUND Clumping factor A (ClfA) is a Staphylococcus aureus cell wall-associated adhesin that mediates staphylococcal binding to fibrinogen and platelets. Our goals were to determine whether expression of capsular polysaccharide (CP) affected ClfA-mediated adherence of S. aureus and to assess whether the length of the ClfA repeat region influenced this interaction. METHODS ClfA constructs ...

Among athletes, Staphylococcus aureus is thought to be transmitted by close physical contact with carriers. Nevertheless, evidence is limited with regard to both the tracking of individual strains and the role of S. aureus on the skin's surface. We investigated its transmission using molecular genotyping and the presence of S. aureus on the skin during exercise. In the first study, nasal sample...