A Far-Red Fluorescent Probe to Visualize Staphylococcus aureus in Patient Samples

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is the leading bacterial cause of death in high-income countries and can cause invasive infections at various body sites. These infections are associated with prolonged hospital stays, a large economic burden, considerable treatment failure, and mortality rates. So far, there is only limited knowledge about the specific locations where S. aureus resides in the human body during various infections. Hence, the visualization of S. aureus holds significant importance in microbiological research. Herein, we report the development and validation of a far-red-fluorescent probe to detect S. aureus in human biopsies from deep-seated infections. This probe displays strong fluorescence and low background in human tissues, outperforming current tools for S. aureus detection. Several applications are demonstrated, including fixed- and live-cell imaging, flow cytometry, and super-resolution bacterial imaging. ![Figure][1] ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. [1]: pending:yes