Bacterial and host factors implicated in nasal carriage of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in mice.

Nasal carriage is a major risk factor for Staphylococcus aureus infection, especially for methicillin-resistant strains (MRSA). Using a mouse model of nasal carriage, we have compared several S. aureus strains and demonstrated increased colonization levels by MRSA in cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator-deficient mice and Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2)-deficient mice but not TLR4-deficient mice.