Staphylococcal Pathogenesis

Staphylococci are the archetypal human commensal bacteria, and at the same time are responsible for superficial or deep infections, sometimes extremely severe, occurring in all types of patients, whether immunocompromised or not. Their ability to develop resistance to antibiotics, particularly MRSA, and to form persistence mechanisms, complicates the treatment of infections. The pathogenesis of staphylococcal infections is multifactorial, involving a plethora of adhesion, colonization and tissue invasion factors, but few specific pathovars have been identified. The Staphylococcal Pathogenesis (StaPath) team is involved in identifying the determinants of the transition from the commensal to the pathogenic state, the regulation of these determinants from both a fundamental and clinical perspective, the pathophysiology of the different lineages, and the evaluation or production of innovative therapies, including therapeutic phages.

StaPath works closely with the French National Reference Center for Staphylococci (CNR Staph) and also hosts Dr. Oana Dimitrescu's group, which works on tuberculosis.

Currently, the team is led by Professor François Vandenesch. Under the next contract, the team will be led by Professor Karen Moreau and co-led by Professors Frédéric Laurent and Paul Verhoeven.