Salicylic acid: an old dog, new tricks, and staphylococcal disease.

Aspirin has been shown to cause a reduction in the virulence of Staphylococcus aureus-associated endocarditis. A new study reveals that salicylic acid, the major metabolite of aspirin, acts at the level of transcription to downregulate the production of fibrinogen, fibronectin, and alpha-hemolysin - virulence factors necessary for bacterial replication in host tissues and, now, potential therapeutic targets.