Virulence characteristics and diagnostic implications of invasive Staphylococcus aureus disease

Staphylococcus aureus is a pathogenic bacterium of significant global concern. It is essential to understand the molecular characteristics associated with invasive S. aureus infections and develop tools for rapid and accurate diagnosis of infections cause by multidrug resistant strains. This thesis investigates molecular characteristics associated with infective endocarditis, characterises a leukotoxin that acts as a direct neutrophil chemoattractant and examines infrared spectroscopy as a potential diagnostic tool to identify antibiotic resistance. This work contributes to the knowledge of S. aureus virulence, host cell interactions and antimicrobial resistance, which can help monitor the spread of this pathogen and combat infections.