Staphylococcus aureus biofilms release leukocidins to elicit extracellular trap formation and evade neutrophil-mediated killing

Significance Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections are responsible for approximately 11,285 deaths per year in the United States. With the ability to acquire antibiotic resistance and counteract host immunity, there is an emergent need for novel therapeutic agents for these infections. Biofilms persist in chronic infections and can tolerate significantly higher antimicrobial concentrations than single cells, greatly complicating the prognosis of MRSA infections. Our knowledge of the persistence mechanisms associated with these infections is limited. This report describes some major strategies used by MRSA biofilms to evade the host innate immune response and shows that S. aureus utilizes the combined activity of leukocidins to persist during chronic infections. Host cells efficiently cleared biofilms that were unable to express leukocidins, presenting an exciting avenue for antiinfection therapeutic agents.