Staphylococcus

What is Staphylococcus?
• Staphylococcus is a group of bacteria that can
cause a multitude of diseases as a result of
infection of various tissues of the body.
• Staphylococcus is more familiarly known as
Staph (pronounced "staff"). Staph-related
illness can range from mild and requiring no
treatment to severe and potentially fatal.
 Characteristics of S.Coccus

• 1-Gram Positive.


• 2-Catalase Positive.
•
• 3-Spherical.
•
• 4-Arranged in Clusters.

 Habitats
 commonly found in air and water and on the
skin and upper part of the human pharynx and
mucosa. The nose is the main habitat for
S.aureus and S.epidermidis.
 Infection
• They can cause illness directly by infection, or
indirectly through products they make, such as
the toxins responsible for food poisoning and
toxic shock syndrome(TSS) .
• Staphylococci generally resist host defenses.
 STAPHYLOCOCCUS

They contain more than 30 species, However ;

1)Staphylococcus aureus.
2)Staphylococcus epidermidis.
3)Staphylococcus saprophyticus.
Are the most spread and important species.
 1) S.Aureus
• They are true food poisoning
• It grows best at 37°C and can grow between 6
and 48°C.
• grows best in the presence of oxygen but can
grow an-aerobically (absence of oxygen).
• Humans, and animals are the main reservoir of
this organism.
 Some Diseases caused by
S.Aureus
1) Abscess.
2)boils.

3)osteomyelitis.

4)Post-operative wound infection.

5)Food poisoning.
 Treatment
Generally no specific treatment is needed except
for fluid replacement when diarrhoea and
vomiting are severe.
 Preventive measures
1)Thorough hand washing.

2) Proper use of tasting spoons and ladles.

3) Not keeping high-risk foods at room

temperature but above 60°C if served hot, 4°C if

cold.
4) Not drinking untreated water supplies or

unpasteurised milk.
5) Thorough cooking of meat and meat products.
2)Staphylococcus Epidermidis
• It is coagulase-negative cocci and part of our
normal flora.
• It is a true opportunistic pathogen.
• It is one of the leading pathogens of nosocomial
infections, particularly associated with foreign
body infections.
 3) Staphylococcus
saprophyticus
• It is often implicated in urinary tract infections.
• It is rarely found in healthy humans but is
commonly isolated from animals and their
carcasses.
• It is a coagulase-negative species of
Staphylococcus bacteria
 Diagnosis
• Clinical: Generally, a Gram stain of exudate
from a lesion can demonstrate the
characteristic Gram-positive cocci arranged in
clusters.
• Laboratory: Isolation techniques employ blood
agar or Bacteriophage testing may be utilized.
 Staph culture: Gram positive S. aureus,
golden S. aureus and white S. light microscope, Magn. ~ 100x
epidermidis colony.
 Preventive measures
1) Thorough hand washing.
2) Proper use of tasting spoons and

ladles.
3) Not keeping high-risk foods at room

temperature but above 60°C if served

hot, 4°C if cold.
4) Not drinking untreated water supplies or

unpasteurised milk.
5) Thorough cooking of meat and meat

products.
6) Keep skin clean as possible.

7) Fast treating of wounds using antiseptic.