ABSTRACT
Microorganisms are the first forms of life to develop on Earth, approximately 4 billion years ago. Microorganisms are beneficial in many aspects to the society, but at the same time, they are also highly harmful in regard to infections and diseases. Severe public health problems like urinary tract infections (UTIs) are caused by a range of pathogens, most importantly Proteus spp. and Staphylococcus spp. This chapter presents a study of the virulence factors of UTI pathogens Proteus mirabilis and Staphylococcus aureus. S. aureus produces a large number of virulence factors, and these include extracellular toxins like alpha-toxin and cell-wall-associated proteins, which are important for colonization, immune evasion, and tissue destruction. Gram-negative Proteus rods are widely distributed in the natural environment, and they can especially be found in polluted water and soil. Lipoteichoic acid is a surface-associated adhesion amphiphile from gram-positive bacteria made up of a polymer of repetitive 1,3-phosphodiester-linked glycerol-I-phosphate units with a glycolipid anchor.
