THE secret of Staphylococcus aureus, the bacterium that is evolving into superbug strains like MRSA, may be the golden yellow pigment that gives it its name.
Staph bacteria have a yellow coating made of a carotenoid similar to the pigments in carrots. And like plant carotenoids, the pigment has antioxidant properties. George Liu’s team at the University of California at San Diego has now proved that the Staph carotenoid helps protect it against the peroxide and free radicals that some immune system cells use to kill invading bacteria.
The team has shown that a mutant strain missing the outer carotenoid…
