A Review Of Virulence Factors, Pathogenesis, And Antibiotic Resistance In Staphylococcus Aureus

Staphylococcus aureus is a common pathogen associated with serious community and hospital-acquired diseases and has long been considered as a major problem of public health. This potent Gram-positive bacterium is able to bypass all barriers of the host defense system as it possesses a wide spectrum of virulence factors. S. aureus is also one of the prominent pathogens in biofilm-related infections of indwelling medical devices, which are responsible for billions in healthcare cost each year in the United States. S. aureus expresses a large number of virulence factors that are implicated in their pathogenesis. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus infections have reached epidemic levels in many parts of the world. This review describes the virulence factors, pathogenesis, and antibiotic resistance in S. aureus. Copyright (C) 2016 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.