News Microbes

Staph bacteria are bad at letting go

Calcium can strengthen the bond between staph and skin

Image shows round, purple bacteria clustered together. The cluster appears like a clump of grapes.

Staphylococcus aureus (shown), a species of bacteria that can cause staph infections, binds to human skin proteins with super strength, a new study shows. Figuring out how to break that bond apart could help researchers craft new treatments.

DENNIS KUNKEL MICROSCOPY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/Getty Images

By Erin Garcia de Jesús

Some microbes can be quite clingy.

Staphylococcus aureus, a bacterial species responsible for staph infections, latches onto human skin with one of the strongest biological bonds ever recorded, researchers report in the Sept.