Investigation of Staphylococcus aureus adhesion and invasion of host cells.

The continuous emergence of multidrug-resistant bacterial pathogens is a major problem in public health. Many mechanisms may be involved in such resistance in Staphylococcus aureus. Increasing data have shown that S. aureus can invade different types of host cells, which may contribute to escape from host immune defense as well as evade the toxicity of certain antibiotics. The organism produces various cell wall-associated molecules, particularly fibronectin-binding proteins, which are important for the bacterial cells to adhere to and internalize into the host cells. Thus, the expression levels of these factors affect the bacterial capacity of adhesion and invasion. In this study, we found that different human MRSA isolates possessed different abilities to adhere to and invade the epithelial cells.