Staphylococcus

Information about Staphylococcus

Staphylococcus

SEM micrograph of S. aureus colonies; note the grape-like clustering common to Staphylococcus species.

Kingdom:	Bacteria
Phylum:	Firmicutes
Class:	Bacilli
Order:	Bacillales
Family:	Staphylococcaceae
Genus:	*Staphylococcus* Rosenbach 1884

Species

S. afermentans
S. aureus
S. auricularis
S. capitis
S. caprae
S. cohnii
S. epidermidis
S. felis
S. haemolyticus
S. hominis
S. intermedius
S. lugdunensis
S. saprophyticus
S. schleiferi
S. simulans
S. vitulus
S. warneri
S. xylosus

Staphylococcus (in Greek staphyle means bunch of grapes and coccos means granule) is a genus of Gram-positive bacteria. Under the microscope they appear round (cocci), and form in grape-like clusters.^[1]

The Staphylococcus genus includes thirty-one species.^[2] Most are completely harmless, and reside normally on the skin and mucous membranes of humans and other organisms. Found worldwide, they are a small component of soil microbial flora.^[3]

Role in disease

Staphylococci can cause a wide variety of diseases in humans and other animals either through toxin production or invasion. Staphylococcal toxins are a common cause of food poisoning as it can grow in improperly stored food. Although the cooking process kills them, the enterotoxins are heat resistant and can survive boiling for several minutes. Staphylococci can grow in foods with relatively low water activity (such as cheese and salami).

One pathogenic species is Staphylococcus aureus, which can infect wounds. These bacteria can survive on dry surfaces, increasing the chance of transmission. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has recently become a major cause of hospital-acquired infections and is being recognized with increasing frequency in community acquired infections. S. aureus is also implicated in toxic shock syndrome; during the 1980s some tampons allowed the rapid growth of S. aureus, which released toxins that were absorbed into the bloodstream. Any S. aureus infection can cause the staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome, a cutaneous reaction to exotoxin absorbed into the bloodstream. It can also cause a type of septicaemia called pyaemia. Getting this infection can be very serious, frequently resulting in death. There were more than 22,000 deaths due to this infection in the year of 2006 .
The coagulase positive Staphylococcus that inhabits and sometimes infects the skin of domestic dogs and cats is Staphylococcus intermedius. This organism, too, can carry the genetic material that imparts multiple bacterial resistance. It is rarely implicated in infections in humans, as a zoonosis.
S. epidermidis, a coagulase-negative staphylococcus species, is a commensal of the skin, but can cause severe infections in immune suppressed patients and those with central venous catheters.
S. saprophyticus, another coagulase-negative species that is part of the normal vaginal flora, is predominantly implicated in genitourinary tract infections in sexually active young women.
In recent years several other Staphylococcus species have been implicated in human infections, notably S. lugdunensis, S. schleiferi, and S. caprae.

Staphylococci can also be found on the tips of the fingers. Most commonly it is found on the index finger as well as the thumb. This infection is known as a felon. As are many other Staphylococcus infections, felon is very painful and can be treated with antibiotics. Most S. aureus are penicillin resistant, but vancomycin and nafcillin are known to be effective against most strains.

Biochemical Indentification

Staphylococcus aureus shows beta-hemolysis on Sheep Blood Agar, however S. epidermidis is non-hemolytic on SBA. Both are positive for catalase production.

Cases

Several cases have been recently reported in the U.S. state of Georgia. In September and October of 2007, 28 students of 5 high schools in Anne Arundel county, Maryland contracted the MRSA strain of staph. The schools include Old Mill High School, Severna Park High School, Cheasapeake High School,Glen Burnie High School, and Southern High School, as well as Millard North High School in Omaha, Nebraska in October of 2007. Seven male athletes contracted the disease. ^[4] Cases have also been reported in Illinois, where 2 students from Naperville North High School (Naperville, IL, western suburb of Chicago) have also been diagnosed with the same kind of "Superbug" staphylococcus infection. ^[5]

A student of Staunton River High School in Bedford, Virginia died of of a Staph infection on October 15th, 2007. ^[6]

The have also been confirmed cases at Troy High School in Troy, Michigan, and Stevenson High School in Sterling Heights, Michigan.

References

1. ^ Ryan KJ, Ray CG (editors) (2004). Sherris Medical Microbiology, 4th ed., McGraw Hill. ISBN 0838585299.
2. ^ Holt JG (editor) (1994). Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology, 9th ed., Williams & Wilkins. ISBN 0-683-00603-7.
3. ^ Madigan M, Martinko J (editors). (2005). Brock Biology of Microorganisms, 11th ed., Prentice Hall. ISBN 0131443291.
4. ^ Millard North Fights Staph Outbreak
5. ^ 2 Naperville Students Diagnosed With 'Superbug'
6. ^ Teen Who Contracted Staph Infection Dies

scanning electron microscope (SEM) is a type of electron microscope capable of producing high-resolution images of a sample surface. Due to the manner in which the image is created, SEM images have a characteristic three-dimensional appearance and are useful for judging the
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micrograph, microphotograph or photomicrograph is a photograph or similar image taken through a microscope or similar device to show a magnified image of an item. Canadian inventor Reginald Aubrey Fessenden is credited with inventing photomicrography.
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Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. Scientific classification also can be called scientific taxonomy, but should be distinguished from folk taxonomy, which lacks scientific basis.
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Bacteria

Phyla

Actinobacteria
Aquificae
Chlamydiae
Bacteroidetes/Chlorobi
Chloroflexi
Chrysiogenetes
Cyanobacteria
Deferribacteres
Deinococcus-Thermus
Dictyoglomi
Fibrobacteres/Acidobacteria
Firmicutes
Fusobacteria
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Firmicutes

Classes

Bacilli
Clostridia
Mollicutes
The Firmicutes are a division of bacteria, most of which have Gram-positive cell wall structure.
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Bacilli

Orders

Bacillales
Lactobacillales

Bacilli specifically refers to a taxonomic class of bacteria. It includes two orders, Bacillales and Lactobacillales, which contain several well-known pathogens like Bacillus anthracis
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Bacillales

Families

Alicyclobacillaceae
Bacillaceae
Caryophanaceae
Listeriaceae
Paenibacillaceae
Planococcaceae
Sporolactobacillaceae
Staphylococcaceae
Thermoactinomycetaceae
Turicibacteraceae
The Bacillales
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S. aureus

Binomial name
Staphylococcus aureus
Rosenbach 1884

Staphylococcus aureus /ˌstæf.ə.loˈko.
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S. caprae

Binomial name
Staphylococcus caprae
Devriese et al. 1983

Staphylococcus caprae is a Gram positive, spherical bacteria and a member of the genus Staphylococcus.
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S. epidermidis

Binomial name
Staphylococcus epidermidis
(Winslow & Winslow 1908)
Evans 1916

Staphylococcus epidermidis is a member of the bacterial genus Staphylococcus
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S. haemolyticus

Binomial name
Staphylococcus haemolyticus
Schleifer & Kloos 1975

Staphylococcus haemolyticus is a species of bacterium belonging to the genus Staphylococcus.
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S. hominis

Binomial name
Staphylococcus hominis
Kloos & Schleifer 1975

Staphylococcus hominis is a coagulase-negative member of the bacterial genus Staphylococcus
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S. lugdunensis

Binomial name
Staphylococcus lugdunensis
Freney et al. 1988

Staphylococcus lugdunensis
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S. saprophyticus

Binomial name
Staphylococcus saprophyticus
(Fairbrother 1940)
Shaw et al. 1951

Staphylococcus saprophyticus is a coagulase-negative species of
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S. warneri

Binomial name
Staphylococcus warneri
Kloos & Schleifer 1975

Staphylococcus warneri is a member of the bacterial genus Staphylococcus
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S. xylosus

Binomial name
Staphylococcus xylosus
Schleifer & Kloos 1975

Staphylococcus xylosus is a member of the genus Staphylococcus
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Greek}}}
Writing system: Greek alphabet
Official status
Official language of: Greece
Cyprus
European Union
recognised as minority language in parts of:
European Union
Italy
Turkey
Regulated by:
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Gram-positive bacteria are those that retain a crystal violet dye during the Gram stain process.^[1] Gram-positive bacteria appear blue or violet under a microscope, while Gram-negative bacteria appear red or pink.
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For the Tokyo University supercomputer, see Gravity Pipe.

GRAPE, or GRAphics Programming Environment is a software development environment for mathematical visualization, especially differential geometry and continuum mechanics.
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genus (plural: genera) is part of the Latinized name for an organism. It is a name which reflects the classification of the organism by grouping it with other closely similar organisms.
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Skin layers: epidermis, dermis, and subcutis, showing a hair follicle, sweat gland & sebaceous gland.]] In zootomy and dermatology, skin is the largest organ of the integumentary system made up of multiple layers of epithelial tissues that guard underlying muscles and organs.
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Foodborne illness
Classification & external resources

ICD-9 005.9

DiseasesDB 31112

eMedicine med/807 A foodborne illness (also foodborne disease) is any illness resulting from the consumption of food.
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An enterotoxin is a protein toxin released by a micro-organism in the lower Intestine. Enterotoxins are frequently cytotoxic and kill cells by altering the permeability of the epithelial cells of the intestinal wall.
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Cheese is a solid food made from the milk of cows, goats, sheep and other mammals. Cheese is made by coagulating milk. This is accomplished by first acidification with a bacterial culture and then employing an enzyme, rennet (or rennet substitutes) to coagulate the milk to "curds
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Salami is cured sausage, fermented and air-dried. Salami may refer specifically to a class of salumi (the Italian tradition of cured meats), where an individual sausage or style of sausage (e.g. Genoa) would be referred to with the singular Italian form salame.
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A pathogen or infectious agent is a biological agent that causes disease or illness to its host.^[1] The term is most often used for agents that disrupt the normal physiology of a multicellular animal or plant.
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