Host-directed kinase inhibitors act as novel therapies against intracellular Staphylococcus aureus.

Host-directed therapeutics are a promising anti-infective strategy against intracellular bacterial pathogens. Repurposing host-targeted drugs approved by the FDA in the US, the MHRA in the UK and/or regulatory equivalents in other countries, is particularly interesting because these drugs are commercially available, safe doses are documented and they have been already approved for other clinical purposes. In this study, we aimed to identify novel therapies against intracellular Staphylococcus aureus, an opportunistic pathogen that is able to exploit host molecular and metabolic pathways to support its own intracellular survival.