Mouse Anti-S. aureus Monoclonal antibody. Staphylococcus aureus is a facultative anaerobic Gram-positive coccal bacterium. It is frequently found as part of the normal skin flora on the skin and nasal passages. It is estimated that 20% of the human population are long-term carriers of S. aureus. S. aureus is the most common species of staphylococci to cause Staph infections. The reasons S. aureus is a successful pathogen are a combination host and bacterial immuno-evasive strategies. One of these strategies is the production of carotenoid pigment staphyloxanthin which is responsible for the characteristic golden colour of S. aureus colonies. This pigment acts as a virulence factor, primarily being a bacterial antioxidant which helps the microbe evade the hosts immune system in the form of reactive oxygen species which the host uses to kill pathogens.