Abstract
Viewed under the microscope, staphylococci can appear in 'grape-like' clusters. It is this morphological characteristic of these Gram-positive cocci that has given rise to their name; staphyle being Greek for 'a bunch of grapes'. The genus contains several species that cause infections in humans and animals, the most notorious of which is Staphylococcus aureus, a healthcare-associated pathogen with a talent for developing antibiotic resistance. Although S. aureus has attracted the lion's share of sequencing efforts within this genus, several other species have been sequenced, providing a refined view of the diversity of this genus and highlighting the common mechanisms of genome evolution that transcend taxonomic boundaries.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$209.00 per year
only $17.42 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
References
Diep, B. A. et al. Complete genome sequence of USA300, an epidemic clone of community-acquired meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Lancet 367, 731–739 (2006).
Gill, S. R. et al. Insights on evolution of virulence and resistance from the complete genome analysis of an early methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strain and a biofilm-producing methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis strain. J. Bacteriol. 187, 2426–2438 (2005).
Takeuchi, F. et al. Whole-genome sequencing of Staphylococcus haemolyticus uncovers the extreme plasticity of its genome and the evolution of human-colonizing staphylococcal species. J. Bacteriol. 187, 7292–7308 (2005).
Kuroda, M. et al. Whole genome sequence of Staphylococcus saprophyticus reveals the pathogenesis of uncomplicated urinary tract infection. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 102, 13272–13277 (2005).
Gillaspy, A. F. et al. in Gram Positive Pathogens (eds Fischetti, V., Novick, R., Ferretti, J., Portnoy, D. & Rood, J.) 381–412 (ASM Press, 2006).
Baba, T. et al. Genome and virulence determinants of high virulence community-acquired MRSA. Lancet 359, 1819–1827 (2002).
Zhang, Y. Q. et al. Genome-based analysis of virulence genes in a non-biofilm- forming Staphylococcus epidermidis strain (ATCC 12228). Mol. Microbiol. 49, 1577–1593 (2003).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Related links
Related links
DATABASES
Entrez Genome
Staphylococcus epidermidis ATCC 12228
Staphylococcus epidermidis strain RP62a
Staphylococcus haemolyticus JCSC1435
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Holden, M., Lindsay, J. & Bentley, S. The grapes of wrath. Nat Rev Microbiol 4, 806–807 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro1535
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro1535
