2. Staphylococcus
• Ubiquitous
• Gram positive
• Cocci
• Staphyle - Bunch of grapes
• Kokkos - Berry
• Discovered by Von Recklinghausen
• Named by Sir Alexander Ogston
3. Staphylococcus
• Pyogenic infections
• Pigment production not associated with
virulence
– Golden yellow colonies Staphylococccus aureus
– White colonies Staphylococcus epidermidis
– White colonies Staphylococcus albus
– Lemon yellow colonies Staphylococcus citreus
13. Generally!
• Non motile
• Non sporing
• Young cultures may have capsules
• Stain with aniline dyes
• Uniformly gram positive
• L forms may be seen
14. Current classification
• 32 species
• 15 sub species
• Coagulase positive Staphylococcus aureus
• Coagulase negative
– Staph. epidermidis
– Staph hemolyticus
– Staph saprophyticus
– Staph hominis
– Staph capitis Commensal flora
15. Staphylococcus aureus
• Gram positive cocci
• Arranged in grape like
clusters
• Cluster formation is d/t
division in 3 planes and
daughter cells remain in
close proximity
• May appear in singles,
pairs or short chains
• Some bacteria may have
capsules
16. Culture characteristics
• Grow on ordinary media
• Temp 10-42°C. optimum is 37°C
• pH range 7.4 – 7.6
• Aerobes
• Facultative anerobes
• Nutrient agar
– Large, Circular, Smooth, Shiny, Opaque & easily
emulsifiable colonies
– Yellow pigment which does not diffuse into medium
– Pigment is carotene like lipoprotein
– Pigment production best at 22°C or when glycerol
monoacetate / milk is incorporated into medium
17. culture characteristics (Cont'd)
• Nutrient slope
– Oil paint appearance
• Blood agar
– Marked hemolysis on sheep blood agar
– 20-25% Co2
– Rabbit / Sheep blood
• Mac Conkey agar
– Pink colonies due to lactose fermentation
• Liquid media
– Uniform turbidity
• Selective medium
– Salt milk agar
– Salt broth
– Ludlam’s medium ( Lithium chloride, Tellurite)
47. Bacteriophage typing
• Strain to be typed is inoculated as lawn culture on nutrient agar
• After drying phages are applied on marked squares in a fixed
dose
• After overnight incubation cultures will be observed to be
lysed by some phages
• Phage type of strain is expressed by the phages which lyse the
bacteria
• Phage typing is important in epidemiological studies.
49. Epidemiology
• Primarily colonize skin
• Respiratory & superficial infections disseminate into
environment
• 10-30% carry staphylococci in nose
• 10 % have staphylococcal carriage in hair& perineum
• 5-10% carriage is seen in vagina
• Transmission of infection can be by contact, direct or
through fomites, by dust or by airborne droplets
• Nosocomial cross infection is very important
resistant strains
51. Treatment
• Penicillin is drug of choice
• Methicillin/ cloxacillin in penicillin resistant cases
• For MRSA Vancomycin
• Vancomycin, Teicoplanin resistant strains have appeared
• Superficial infection local application with bacitracin,
Chlorhexidine or Mupirocin
• Very resistant cases & chronic resistant carriers
Rifampicin along with oral antibiotic
52. Coagulase negative
Staphylococcci
• Staphylococcus epidermidis
– Commensal on skin
– Can cause cystitis
– Stitch abscess, artificial heart valves, shunts, intra
vascular catheters& prosthetic appliances
• Staphylococcus hemolyticus
• Staphylococcus saprophyticus
– Uti in young women