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Staphylococcus Aureus Strain with GFP/YFP/mCherry Fluorescence
Technology Primer:
An estimated 32% of the US population is colonized with Staphylococcus aureus, with the highest
prevalence among children. The proportion of strains that is methicillin resistant is increasing, with 64%
of screened isolates from hospital intensive care units testing positive for methicillin resistance. In
recent years, more virulent community-associated methicillin-resistant strains of S. aureus have
emerged and their increasing prevalence in otherwise healthy individuals is a matter of great clinical
concern. Optimal host response to infection with S. aureus relies on the efficient ingestion and killing of
microorganisms.
Technology Description:
Researchers at the University of Iowa have developed a strain of Staphylococcus aureus that
constitutively expresses GFP, YFP, or mCherry protein. These clonal strains maintain their plasmid due to
selection media and have been shown to generate strong fluorescent signals when exposed to
excitatory light wavelengths. These strains can be easily incorporated into research studies requiring
rapid detection of growth or clearing of small amounts of bacteria or small changes in growth or growth
rate.
Additional Technology Benefit:
Plasmids can also be removed from the strains of Staphylococcus aureus and used as a vector to create
customized strains of bacteria. This enables one to screen compounds that are capable of killing strains
that are resistant to other antibiotics.