Staphylococcus aureus transcriptomics and single-cell sequencing approaches

Staphylococcus aureus is an important cause of human infections globally and ranks among the top causes of death by bacteria. In addition, the microbe is notorious for developing resistance to antibiotics. Methicillin-resistant S. aureus is endemic in healthcare facilities and the community in many regions of the world. Although our understanding of S. aureus as a human commensal organism and opportunistic pathogen remains incomplete, the use of genomics and transcriptomics approaches for S. aureus research has advanced this knowledge significantly over the past 20 years. This article reviews genomics approaches, with special emphasis on transcriptomics and single-cell sequencing, used to study S. aureus, past and present, and highlights selected discoveries made with these methods and new applications moving forward.