The team performed long-term infection studies with Staphylococcus aureus in cell culture systems and also **ysed tissue samples from subacute and chronic human infections.
　　The research revealed that in all infection models, the bacteria were able to persist within the host for several weeks after the infection, leading to the formation of SCV colonies. This showed that SCVs began to appear following infection, after the immune system response was overcome and that this persistence led to a larger phenotypic diversity of bacteria.
　　"These studies demonstrate that S. aureusare extreme versatile microorganisms that continuously sense their environmental conditions and can rapidly alter to reflect them," said L?ffler. "The formation of SCV colonies is a bacterial phenotype switching strategy which is an integral part of the infection process."
　　This process enables the bacteria to hide inside host cells without provoking an inflammatory response from the host's immune system. In addition, they might be efficiently protected from antibiotic treatment.