Data from Harbor-UCLA Medical Center Advance Knowledge in Staphylococcus aureus [Sensitizing Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus Aureus (Mrsa) To Cefuroxime: the Synergic Effect of Bicarbonate and the Wall Teichoic Acid Inhibitor...].

A research report from Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, California discusses the findings on Staphylococcus aureus, specifically methicillin-resistant strains (MRSA). The report highlights the challenge that MRSA strains pose to clinicians due to their resistance to beta-lactams, the first-line treatment for methicillin-susceptible S. aureus. The researchers discovered a phenomenon called "NaHCO3-responsiveness," where MRSA isolates become susceptible to beta-lactams in the presence of physiologically relevant concentrations of NaHCO3. They also found that NaHCO3 exposure represses the synthesis of wall teichoic acid (WTA), which is similar to the effect of WTA synthesis inhibitors. The study suggests that WTA synthesis inhibitors, in combination with specific beta-lactam agents, could be used to treat certain MRSA strains. [Extracted from the article]