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

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Abstract
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.