Although bacterial virulence, a factor that affects the severity and outcome of an infection, is widely accepted as being driven by high pathogen toxicity levels, a recent study published in the online journal PLOS Biology found that this may not be true for Staphylococcus aureus.
To understand the relationship between toxicity and bacterial virulence in greater depth, the researchers applied a functional genomics approach to two sequenced collections of S. aureus, a major human pathogen.
Contrary to what they were expecting to find, the study showed an unexpected inverse correlation between bacterial toxicity and disease severity, meaning that the most severe staph infections were actually the least toxic.
"For S. aureus, an opportunistic pathogen, it is clear that virulence is multifaceted," concluded the study. "With the movement of genome sequencing into routine clinical practice and the drive towards personalized medicine, we need to define these complex interactions and bring the biology of the pathogen into greater consideration in clinical settings."
More articles on staph infections:
Rapid test results affect antibiotic selection for staph infections: 3 study findings
7 recent stories, studies on MRSA
10 things for CFOs to know about MRSA