The induction of Staphylococcus aureus biofilm formation or Small Colony Variants is a strain-specific response to host-generated chemical stresses.

Staphylococcus aureus is extremely versatile. It has a capacity to persist within its host by switching to the alternative lifestyles of biofilm or Small Colony Variants (SCV). The induction of this switch has been presumed to be in response to stressed conditions, however the environmental basis has not been thoroughly investigated. We assessed the response of numerous strains to chemicals that are present in human host. There were some that induced a biofilm or SCV phenotype and indeed some inducing both lifestyles. This result illustrates the diversity within a population and a strain-specific adaptation to the presence of host-generated stresses.