Adherence of Staphylococcus aureus isolated in peritoneal dialysis-related exit-site infections to HEp-2 cells and silicone peritoneal catheter materials.

Peritoneal catheter exit-site infections cause a relevant morbidity in peritoneal dialysis patients and are frequently caused by Staphylococcus aureus. We tested the hypothesis that adherence of exit-site-derived S. aureus to epithelial cells and peritoneal catheter silicone tubes discriminates virulent and less virulent strains.