Staphylococcus aureus: towards a comprehensive view on epidemiology and clonal spread

Dissertation presented to obtain a PhD degree in Biology/ Molecular Biology by the Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica

Staphylococcus aureus is known for its extraordinary capacity of colonizing asymptomatically the anterior nares of humans. A high versatility allied to the successive accumulation of resistance to almost all clinically available antibiotics, made S. aureus a major human pathogen worldwide. Soon after the introduction of methicillin into clinical practice, methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA) emerged as a major pathogen in hospitals worldwide, and more recently in the community as well. Methicillin susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) are also an important problem. MSSA is responsible from mild to severe invasive infections, commonly due to enhanced virulence content, rather than accumulation of resistance determinates. However, many gaps in the knowledge of the epidemiology of MSSA remain to be clarified.(...)

Apoio financeiro da FCT e do FSE no âmbito do Quadro Comunitário de Apoio, BD nº: SFRH / BD / 21424 / 2005