Tanya Golubchik, Elizabeth M Batty, Ruth R Miller, Helen Farr, Bernadette C Young, Hanna Larner-Svensson, Rowena Fung, Heather Godwin, Kyle Knox, Antonina Votintseva, Richard G Everitt, Teresa Street, Madeleine Cule, Camilla L C Ip, Xavier Didelot, Timothy E A Peto, Rosalind M Harding, Daniel J Wilson, Derrick W Crook, Rory Bowden
BACKGROUND: Staphylococcus aureus is a major cause of healthcare associated mortality, but like many important bacterial pathogens, it is a common constituent of the normal human body flora. Around a third of healthy adults are carriers. Recent evidence suggests that evolution of S. aureus during nasal carriage may be associated with progression to invasive disease. However, a more detailed understanding of within-host evolution under natural conditions is required to appreciate the evolutionary and mechanistic reasons why commensal bacteria such as S...
2013: PloS One