Why does staphylococcus aureus cluster?

Answer 1

Staphylococcus aureus has the ability to divide in any plane, meaning a new daughter cell can begin to form and pinch off of the parent cell in any direction relative to the cluster or parent cell. Thus, a cluster forms as the cells divide in different planes. Other species, such as Streptococcus, cannot divide in multiple planes and thus tend to form chains instead of clusters.