Respiration and Small Colony Variants of Staphylococcus aureus

Abstract

Respiratory mutants, both naturally occurring and genetically constructed, have taught us about the importance of metabolism in influencing virulence factor production, persistence, and antibiotic resistance. As we learn more about small colony variants, we find that Staphylococcus aureus has many pathways to produce small colony variants, although the respiratory variants are the best described clinically and in the laboratory.