title: Prevalence of agr dysfunction among colonizing Staphylococcus aureus strains.
abstract: Mutations in the staphylococcal virulence regulator gene agr frequently occur during Staphylococcus aureus infection. Whether agr-defective strains are fit for colonization, an important prerequisite for infection, is unknown. Screening by means of assays to detect delta-hemolysin activity and agr autoinducing peptide production indicated that 15 ( approximately 9%) of 160 healthy human subjects were colonized with an agr-defective strain or a mixture of agr-positive and -defective S. aureus strains. The presence of identical agr-defective strains in family members suggests that these strains are transmissible. Additionally, carriage of an agr-defective strain was associated with hospitalization, raising the possibility that such strains may be selected in a nosocomial setting.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA. shopsin@saturn.med.nyu.edu
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Shopsin
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Drlica-Wagner
authors.forename: Barun
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mathema
authors.forename: Rajan P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Adhikari
authors.forename: Barry N
authors.initials: BN
authors.lastname: Kreiswirth
authors.forename: Richard P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Novick