The Journal of the Polish Biochemical Society
and of the Committee of Biochemistry and Biophysics
Polish Academy of Sciences

Acta Biochimica Polonica
Vol. 56 No. 4/2009

Acta Biochimica Polonica
Supplement 3, 2009
44th Meeting of the Polish Biochemical Society

Selected Review from the Current Issue:

Staphylococcus aureus as an infectious agent: overview of biochemistry and molecular genetics of its pathogenicity

Konrad Plata, Adriana E. Rosato and Grzegorz Węgrzyn

 Although it is estimated that 20-30% of the general human population are carriers of Staphylococcus aureus, this bacterium is one of the most important etiological agents responsible for healthcare-associated infections. The appearance of methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA) strains has created serious therapeutical problems. Detailed understanding of the mechanisms of S. aureus infections seems necessary to develop new effective therapies against this pathogen. In this article, we present an overview of the biochemical and genetic mechanisms of pathogenicity of S. aureus strains. Virulence factors, organization of the genome and regulation of expression of genes involved in virulence, and mechanisms leading to methicilin resistance are presented and briefly discussed.

Acta Biochimica Polonica, 56(4), 597-612, Review

Acta Biochimica Polonica is indexed in: Current Contents, Biochem. and Biophys. Citation Index, BIOSIS, Chemical Abstracts, Excerpta Medica, Medline, Index Copernicus, CBR

Copyright © by Pawel Pomorski and Polish Biochemical Society 2009