 The bacterium Staphylococcus aureus, S. aureus, is responsible for many public and serious diseases. These include food poisoning and toxic shock syndrome caused by its exotoxins. The best characterized of the 20S aureus entrotoxins are SEA and SEB, which are highly soluble in water. The resulting T-cell cytokine bolus is a fatal dose to the cardiovascular system and can cause organ failure if ingested in large doses. Multidrug-resistant strains of S. aureus are emerging and are a concern in the clinical setting. This article was authored by Victor E. Reyes, Ellen J. Bezwick and Irina V. Pinchuk.