How Staphylococcus aureus 'steals' iron from our blood during infections

Researchers have revealed how Staphylococcus aureus bacteria extract iron from hemoglobin—a process crucial to their survival during infections. Using a novel time-resolved X-ray solution scattering (TR-XSS) technique, a research team at the ESRF, the European Synchrotron, Grenoble, France, has identified the full sequence of protein–protein interactions during this iron "theft."