Staphylococcus aureus resistance to human defensins and evasion of neutrophil killing via the novel virulence factor MprF is based on modification of membrane lipids with L-lysine

Defensins, antimicrobial peptides of the innate immune system, protect human mucosal epithelia and skin against microbial infections and are produced in large amounts by neutrophils. The bacterial pathogen Staphylococcus aureus is insensitive to defensins by virtue of an unknown resistance mechanism. We describe a novel staphylococcal gene, mprF...

Reconventionalization following antibiotic decontamination in man and animals

Antibiotic decontamination of the digestive tract can suppress or eliminate all microorganisms in this tract that are sensitive to the antibiotics used for decontamination. Experimental work in animals has indicated that colonization resistance (CR) decreases to extremely low values during decontamination as a result of the suppression of the...