Surface protein genes and their contribution to S. aureus sepsis.

BALB/c mice were infected by retro-orbital injection with 1×108 CFU of S. aureus Newman or its variants with insertional lesions in either sortase A (srtA) or any one of eighteen genes encoding sortase A-anchored surface proteins or the two coagulase genes, coa and vwb. Median survival time represents the time at which 50% of infected mice (n = 10) exhibited lethal disease. Statistical significance was determined by the two-tailed Logrank test. Data are representative of two independent experiments.