Question

Among the virulence factors produced by Staphylococcus aureus are hemolysin, coagulase, hyaluronidase, and enterotoxin. Which of these factors contribute(s) to the ability of S. aureus to invade the body?

A) coagulase
B) enterotoxin
C) hemolysin
D) hyaluronidase
E) coagulase and hemolysin

Answer 1

A) coagulase

Step-by-step explanation:

Diseases caused by Staphylococcus aureus may be due to direct tissue invasion, or exclusively due to toxins produced.

The mechanism of invasion of S. aureus, in the first moment, depends directly on the fact that this bacterium adheres to the skin or mucosa, thanks to coagulase (a component of the cell surface that ensures adherence to the epithelia), to then break through the barriers of the epithelium, compromising intercellular link structures, as desmosomes and adhesion joints.

After invasion of the epithelium, S. aureus uses several strategies to enable their survival and proliferation in the host organism, corresponding to the other virulence factors.