Discovering the mechanisms of strain-dependent response of Staphylococcus aureus to photoinactivation: oxidative stress toleration, endogenous porphyrin level and strain's virulence.

Background: Staphylococcus aureus is generally known to be susceptible to photoinactivation. However, the phenomenon of its strain-dependent response to photodynamic treatment has been reported. Moreover, the factors determining the emerging variation among strains according to photoinactivation remain unclear.