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Author Spotlight: Understanding Microbe Adaptation Using Innovative Techniques for Exploring Thermophilic Evolution
Published on: June 14, 2024
Staphylococcal adaptation to diverse physiologic niches: an overview of transcriptomic and phenotypic changes in
Sana S Dastgheyb1, Michael Otto1
1Pathogen Molecular Genetics Section, Laborartory of Bacteriology, National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases, The National Institutes of Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
Abstract:
Host niches can differ strongly regarding, for example, oxygen tension, pH or nutrient availability. Staphylococcus aureus and other staphylococci are common colonizers of human epithelia as well as important human pathogens. The phenotypes that they show in different host environments, and the corresponding bacterial transcriptomes and proteomes, are currently under intense investigation. In this review, we examine the available literature describing staphylococcal phenotypes, such as expression of virulence factors, gross morphologic characteristics and growth patterns, in various physiological environments. Going forward, these studies will help researchers and clinicians to form an enhanced and more detailed picture of the interactions existing between the host and staphylococci as some of its most frequent colonizers and invaders.
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