My current research focuses on Staphylococcus aureus as a potential enteropathogen, particularly methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains. I am investigating the role of polysulfides, an oxidation product of sulfide, which are naturally present in the human gut and act as bacterial stress factors. I am focusing on MRSA strains containing an SCCmec-associated duplication of the cst gene cluster (cst2), which confer increased tolerance to sulfide and polysulfide stress, and thus provide a unique advantage in polysulfide-rich environments, such as the human gut (https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.01.28.702267). In the long term, I plan to establish an in vitro small intestine model based on an existing in vitro colon model to investigate colonization processes under physiological conditions.