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Role of Staphylococcus aureus Catalase in Niche Competition against Streptococcus pneumoniae

Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Immunobiology Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, California 90048,¹ Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pharmacology & Drug Discovery, School of Medicine, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093²

Received 2 January 2008/ Accepted 15 January 2008

Nasal colonization by Staphylococcus aureus is a major predisposing factor for subsequent infection. Recent reports of increased S. aureus colonization among children receiving pneumococcal vaccine implicate Streptococcus pneumoniae as an important competitor for the same niche. Since S. pneumoniae uses H₂O₂ to kill competing bacteria, we hypothesized that oxidant defense could play a significant role in promoting S. aureus colonization of the nasal mucosa. Using targeted mutagenesis, we showed that S. aureus expression of catalase contributes significantly to the survival of this pathogen in the presence of S. pneumoniae both in vitro and in a murine model of nasal cocolonization.

Published ahead of print on 25 January 2008.