Impact of Staphylococcus aureus on pathogenesis in polymicrobial infections

Infect Immun. 2014 Jun;82(6):2162-9. doi: 10.1128/IAI.00059-14. Epub 2014 Mar 18.

Abstract

Polymicrobial infections involving Staphylococcus aureus exhibit enhanced disease severity and morbidity. We reviewed the nature of polymicrobial interactions between S. aureus and other bacterial, fungal, and viral cocolonizers. Microbes that were frequently recovered from the infection site with S. aureus are Haemophilus influenzae, Enterococcus faecalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Corynebacterium sp., Lactobacillus sp., Candida albicans, and influenza virus. Detailed analyses of several in vitro and in vivo observations demonstrate that S. aureus exhibits cooperative relations with C. albicans, E. faecalis, H. influenzae, and influenza virus and competitive relations with P. aeruginosa, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Lactobacillus sp., and Corynebacterium sp. Interactions of both types influence changes in S. aureus that alter its characteristics in terms of colony formation, protein expression, pathogenicity, and antibiotic susceptibility.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Adaptive Immunity / immunology
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use
  • Coinfection / drug therapy
  • Coinfection / immunology
  • Coinfection / microbiology*
  • Humans
  • Staphylococcal Infections / drug therapy
  • Staphylococcal Infections / immunology
  • Staphylococcal Infections / microbiology*
  • Staphylococcus aureus* / drug effects

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents