Role of Teichoic Acid in the Binding of Staphylococcus aureus to Nasal Epithelial Cells

The role of teichoic acid in the adherence of Staphylococcus aureus to nasal epithelial cells was investigated. Epithelial cells treated with teichoic acid demonstrated decreased binding of S. aureus. A 71% reduction of adherence was noted with teichoic acid-treated epithelial cells as compared with controls (P less than 0.001). Reduction in adherence of S. aureus was also noted with lipoteichoic acid (obtained from streptococci)-treated epithelial cells. The data provide evidence that teichoic acid mediates the adherence of S. aureus to nasal mucosal cells.