Relationships between Staphylococcus aureus genetic background, virulence factors, agr groups (alleles), and human disease.

ABSTRACT: The expression of most Staphylococcus aureus virulence factors is controlled by the agr locus, which encodes a two-component signaling pathway whose activating ligand is an agr-encoded autoinducing peptide (AIP). A polymorphism in the amino acid sequence of the AIP and of its corresponding receptor divides S. aureus strains into four major groups. Within a given group, each strain produces a peptide that can activate the agr response in the other member strains, whereas the AIPs belonging to different groups are usually mutually inhibitory. We investigated a possible relationship between agr groups and human S. aureus disease by studying 198 S. aureus strains isolated from 14 asymptomatic carriers, 66 patients with suppurative infection, and 114 patients with acute toxemia. The agr group a

SUBMITTER: Jarraud S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC127674 | biostudies-literature | 2002 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature