Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 22, 2026

A Fluorescence-based Method to Study Bacterial Gene Regulation in Infected Tissues
Published on: February 19, 2019
What role does the quorum-sensing accessory gene regulator system play during Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia?
Kimberley L Painter1, Aishwarya Krishna1, Sivaramesh Wigneshweraraj1
1Section of Microbiology, MRC Centre for Molecular Bacteriology and Infection, Imperial College, Armstrong Road, London SW7 2AZ, UK.
None:
Staphylococcus aureus is a major cause of bacteremia, which frequently results in serious secondary infections such as infective endocarditis, osteomyelitis, and septic arthritis. The ability of S. aureus to cause such a wide range of infections has been ascribed to its huge armoury of different virulence factors, many of which are under the control of the quorum-sensing accessory gene regulator (Agr) system. However, a significant fraction of S. aureus bacteremia cases are caused by agr-defective isolates, calling into question the role of Agr in invasive staphylococcal infections. This review draws on recent work to define the role of Agr during bacteremia and explain why the loss of this major virulence regulator is sometimes a price worth paying for S. aureus.
Related Concept Videos
Gene Regulation in Microbial Communities: Quorum Sensing
Bacterial Signaling
Regulation of Bacterial Virulence
Global Regulatory Systems
Mechanism of Antibiotic Resistance in MRSA
Staphylococcal Skin Infections

