Copper Resistance Promotes Fitness of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus during Urinary Tract Infection
Panatda Saenkham-Huntsinger, Amanda N. Hyre, Braden Hanson, George L. Donati, L. Garry Adams, Chanelle Ryan, Alejandra Londoño, Ahmed M. Moustafa, Paul J. Planet, Sargurunathan Subashchandrabose
Abstract
Urinary tract infection (UTI) is an extremely common infectious condition affecting people throughout the world. Increasing antibiotic resistance in pathogens causing UTI threatens our ability to continue to treat patients in the clinics. Better understanding of the host-pathogen interface is critical for development of novel interventional strategies. Here, we sought to elucidate the role of copper in host-Staphylococcus aureus interaction during UTI. Our results reveal that copper is mobilized to the urine as a host response in patients with UTI. Our findings from the murine model of UTI demonstrate that copper resistance is involved in the fitness of methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) during interaction with the host. We also establish a critical link between adaptation to copper stress and iron homeostasis in S. aureus.