I'm just wondering, what institutions are regarded highly for their research in Staph, in terms of infection, vaccine development and such.

I'm interested in the study of surface molecules and toxins of the pathogen and how they are used to cause infection and would be interested

in pursuing a PhD in this area.

Where are you going to go? Look at the faculty pages of microbiology department websites, though its probably a mistake to narrow your focus to one pathogen and one pathway. Many great school might vary by program and locking yourself into one investigator before getting accepted into a program is inadvisable.

 

Look instead for micro programs with strong molecular pathogenesis research.