RT Journal Article SR Electronic(1) A1 Singh, Rachna A1 Ray, Pallab A1 Das, Anindita A1 Sharma, MeeraYR 2010 T1 Enhanced production of exopolysaccharide matrix and biofilm by a menadione-auxotrophic Staphylococcus aureus small-colony variant JF Journal of Medical Microbiology, VO 59 IS 5 SP 521 OP 527 DO https://doi.org/10.1099/jmm.0.017046-0 PB Microbiology Society, SN 1473-5644, AB The role of Staphylococcus aureus small-colony variants (SCVs) in the pathogenesis of biofilm-associated infections remains unclear. This study investigated the mechanism behind increased biofilm-forming potential of a menadione-auxotrophic Staphylococcus aureus SCV compared with the wild-type parental strain, as recently reported by our laboratory. SCVs displayed an autoaggregative phenotype, with a greater amount of polysaccharide intercellular adhesin (PIA), significantly reduced tricarboxylic acid cycle activity and a decreased susceptibility to aminoglycosides and cell-wall inhibitors compared with wild-type. The biofilms formed by the SCV were highly structured, consisting of large microcolonies separated by channels, and contained more biomass as well as significantly more PIA than wild-type biofilms. The surface hydrophobicity of the two phenotypes was similar. Thus, the autoaggregation and increased biofilm-forming capacity of menadione-auxotrophic Staphylococcus aureus SCVs in this study was related to the enhanced production of PIA in these variants., UL https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/jmm/10.1099/jmm.0.017046-0