Exploring Virulence Factors and Alternative Therapies against <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> Pneumonia
Jelle Vlaeminck,
Dina Raafat,
Kristin Surmann,
Leen Timbermont,
Nicole Normann,
Bret Sellman,
Willem J. B. van Wamel,
Surbhi Malhotra-Kumar
Affiliations
Jelle Vlaeminck
Laboratory of Medical Microbiology, Vaccine and Infectious Diseases Institute, University of Antwerp, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium
Dina Raafat
Department of Immunology, Institute of Immunology and Transfusion Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, 17475 Greifswald, Germany
Kristin Surmann
Department of Functional Genomics, Interfaculty Institute for Genetics and Functional Genomics, University Medicine Greifswald, 17475 Greifswald, Germany
Leen Timbermont
Laboratory of Medical Microbiology, Vaccine and Infectious Diseases Institute, University of Antwerp, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium
Nicole Normann
Department of Immunology, Institute of Immunology and Transfusion Medicine, University Medicine Greifswald, 17475 Greifswald, Germany
Bret Sellman
Microbiome Discovery, Microbial Sciences, BioPharmaceuticals R & D, AstraZeneca, Gaithersburg, MD 20878, USA
Willem J. B. van Wamel
Department of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Erasmus Medical Center Rotterdam, 3015 Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Surbhi Malhotra-Kumar
Laboratory of Medical Microbiology, Vaccine and Infectious Diseases Institute, University of Antwerp, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium
Pneumonia is an acute pulmonary infection associated with high mortality and an immense financial burden on healthcare systems. Staphylococcus aureus is an opportunistic pathogen capable of inducing S. aureus pneumonia (SAP), with some lineages also showing multidrug resistance. Given the high level of antibiotic resistance, much research has been focused on targeting S. aureus virulence factors, including toxins and biofilm-associated proteins, in an attempt to develop effective SAP therapeutics. Despite several promising leads, many hurdles still remain for S. aureus vaccine research. Here, we review the state-of-the-art SAP therapeutics, highlight their pitfalls, and discuss alternative approaches of potential significance and future perspectives.
