Mechanisms of Pyocyanin Toxicity and Genetic Determinants of Resistance in Staphylococcus aureus.

ABSTRACT: Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus are commonly isolated from polymicrobial infections, such as wound infections and chronic respiratory infections of persons with cystic fibrosis. Despite their coisolation, P. aeruginosa produces substances toxic to S. aureus, including pyocyanin, a blue-pigmented molecule that functions in P. aeruginosa virulence. Pyocyanin inhibits S. aureus respiration, forcing it to derive energy from fermentation and adopt a small-colony variant (SCV) phenotype. The mechanisms by which S. aureus sustains infection in the presence of pyocyanin are not clear. We sought to clarify the mechanisms of pyocyanin toxicity in S. aureus as well as identify the staphylococcal factors involved in its resistance to pyocyanin toxicity. Nonrespiring S. aureus SCVs are

SUBMITTER: Noto MJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5553028 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature