Natural Population Dynamics and Carriage of Staphylococcus aureus

Staphylococcus aureus is a major human pathogen capable of causing a wide range of infections, from relatively mild skin infections such as folliculitis and furunculosis to life-threatening conditions, including sepsis, deep abscesses, pneumonia, osteomyelitis, and infective endocarditis (1, 2). S. aureus belongs to the genus Staphylococcus, which contains more than 30 species. In human beings, the most clinically relevant species are S. aureus, S. epidermidis, S. haemolyticus, S. lugdunensis, and S. saprophyticus, of which S. aureus is by far the most virulent. In contrast to most Staphylococcus species, S. aureus is capable of being pathogenic in the absence of predisposing host conditions such as immunosuppression or the presence of foreign body material.

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