Enhanced post-stationary-phase survival of a clinical thymidine-dependent small-colony variant of Staphylococcus aureus results from lack of a functional tricarboxylic acid cycle

The mechanisms underlying the persistence of the Staphylococcus aureus small-colony variant (SCV) are not fully elucidated. In this study, clinical thymidine-dependent SCVs displayed altered expression of citB, clpC, and arcA genes, reduced acetate catabolization, and enhanced survival. These results implicate the importance of changes in tricarboxylic acid cycle and acetic acid metabolism in SCV survival and persistence.