A group from the Bellvitge University Hospital and IDIBELL has shown that a genetic variant of the bacterium would be associated with higher production of biofilm, a self-protection system that allows it to persist in the environment
The Bellvitge University Hospital Microbiology Service and the IDIBELL bacterial infections research group in cooperation with CIBERINFEC and CIBERES, have discovered new keys to understanding the persistence of Staphylococcus aureus resistant to the antibiotic methicillin in the hospital environment.
Specifically, in a study published in Research in Microbiology, researchers have shown that the gene sasG variant (Staphylococcus aureus surface protein G) presents a higher association with the formation of biofilms, self-protection systems that help bacteria to persist in the environment and adhere to the medical devices.
S. aureus is a major cause of hospital-acquired invasive infections associated with long hospital stays, costly treatment, morbidity, and mortality. In addition, its high level of methicillin resistance represents an added therapeutic challenge. The presence of this bacterium in the hospital environment and its adherence to medical devices contribute to the transmission of hospital infections and the spread of the bacterium throughout the human body.