How dangerous is Staphylococcus epidermidis?
S. Epidermidis is clearly an extremely dangerous microorganism since it can live in environments containing the most horrible toxins. The key example of this is that it positively thrives in areas with high concentrations of dihydrogen monoxide, which we all know is a leading cause of death in humans. More sharing options...
What are the types of staph infections?
Types of Staph Infections
- Skin infections [2]
- Infective endocarditis [3]
- Bone infections (Osteomyelitis) [4]
- Lung infections (pneumonia) [5]
- Bacteremia (Bloodstream infections)
- Food poisoning [6]
- Toxic Shock Syndrome.
Is a staph infection the same as impetigo?
Wording confusion: Impetigo is a superficial infection of the skin caused by one of several germs, one if which is staph. Staph can be present in infections of the skin,...
Is staph infection a communicable disease?
This bacterium lives on the skin naturally, but if it enters the bloodstream through a wound, it can cause sepsis. It can also cause skin infections and boil-like sores that may be swollen, flushed, and painful. Staph infections are contagious through person-to-person contact.
What infections does Staphylococcus epidermidis cause?
Staphylococcus epidermidis can cause wound infections, boils, sinus infections, endocarditis and other inflammations. The bacterium can reside for a long period of time in "hiding places" in the body, where it is not noticed by the immune system, and therefore also not fought.
Does Staphylococcus cause pneumonia?
Staphylococcal pneumonia is caused by Staphylococcus aureus, gram-positive cocci that usually spread to the lung through the blood from other infected sites, most often the skin. Though a common community pathogen, it is found twice as frequently in pneumonias in hospitalized patients.
What type of pneumonia does Staphylococcus cause?
Staphylococcal pneumonia is a disease process that requires prompt diagnosis, as sequelae can lead to complications such as severe necrotizing pneumonia, bacteremia, or sepsis with or without shock.
What is Staphylococcus epidermidis known for?
Main. Previously regarded as an innocuous commensal microorganism on the human skin, Staphylococcus epidermidis is now seen as an important opportunistic pathogen. Together with its more virulent cousin Staphylococcus aureus , S. epidermidis ranks first among the causative agents of nosocomial infections1.
What bacteria causes pneumonia?
A common cause of bacterial pneumonia is Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus).
Is staph pneumonia serious?
Staphylococcus aureus pneumonia is a common, potentially life-threatening infection caused by this human pathogen. The only therapies available to treat S. aureus pneumonia are antibiotics, a modality that is jeopardized by the organism's remarkable ability to acquire antimicrobial resistance.
What antibiotics treat staph pneumonia?
Antibiotics commonly prescribed to treat staph infections include cefazolin, nafcillin, oxacillin, vancomycin, daptomycin and linezolid.
Is Staphylococcus pneumonia contagious?
Pneumonia is contagious just like a cold or flu when it is caused by infectious microbes. However, pneumonia is not contagious when the cause is related to a type of poisoning like inhalation of chemical fumes.
How long does it take to recover from staph pneumonia?
Most cases can be treated at home, with medications, to prevent complications from a hospital setting. A healthy person may recover within one to three weeks. Someone with a weakened immune system may take longer before they feel normal again.
How does Staphylococcus epidermidis affect the body?
Staphylococcus epidermidis can cause infections from implantation of medical devices such as cardiac devices, orthopedic devices, and CNS shunt. Up to 20% of patients with cardiac devices can become infected and can show signs of erythema, pain, purulence around the site of the infection, and sepsis.
Where do you get Staphylococcus epidermidis?
Staphylococcus epidermidisLatin nameStaphylococcus epidermidisSize1-2 µmEnemyOther skin bacteriaFoodDead skin cells and sweatHabitatOn our skin and sometimes on mucosa
What is the best antibiotic for Staphylococcus epidermidis?
epidermidis infections. Vancomycin is the drug of choice for infections caused by methicillin-resistant organisms. Vancomycin, combined with rifampin or gentamicin, or both, is recommended for therapy of serious infections caused by methicillin-resistant strains. Staph.
Can staph infection spread to lungs?
Most of the time, these bacteria cause no problems or cause relatively minor skin infections. But staph infections can turn deadly if the bacteria invade deeper into your body, entering your bloodstream, joints, bones, lungs or heart.
How long does it take to recover from staph pneumonia?
Most cases can be treated at home, with medications, to prevent complications from a hospital setting. A healthy person may recover within one to three weeks. Someone with a weakened immune system may take longer before they feel normal again.
What antibiotics treat staph pneumonia?
Antibiotics commonly prescribed to treat staph infections include cefazolin, nafcillin, oxacillin, vancomycin, daptomycin and linezolid.
Is Staphylococcus pneumonia contagious?
Pneumonia is contagious just like a cold or flu when it is caused by infectious microbes. However, pneumonia is not contagious when the cause is related to a type of poisoning like inhalation of chemical fumes.
What is the most common cause of pneumonia in the elderly?
Community-acquired staphylococcal pneumonia is usually seen in patients that are recovering from influenza. The infection is seen in a bimodal distribution, with the younger and elderly populations being more at risk. It should be noted that Pneumococcusis still the leading cause of post-viral pneumonia in this population.[2] Individuals may also be colonized with S. aureuson the skin or in nares, and this can also lead to pulmonary infections and is seen in both the community and in the hospital setting. Another notable etiology of S. aureuspneumonia is seen in patients who abuse intravenous drugs. Due to contamination of the skin or equipment, IV drug abuse can lead to multiple systemic infections from S. aureussuch as tricuspid valve endocarditis, bacteremia, and septic emboli to the lungs. [3]
What are the complications of pneumonia?
It should be noted that a chest CT should not be used in the initial diagnosis of pneumonia, and that chest x-ray should be ordered first as a foundational approach to the initial evaluation of pneumonia. Staphylococcal pneumonia may also lead to complications such as sepsis, septic shock, bacteremia, and respiratory failure leading to invasive mechanical ventilation.
What is the cause of sepsis?
Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a pathogen that has been published in the literature since the 1800s. At that time, it was better recognized as a cause of sepsis and abscess formation. More than a century after the first descriptions of Staphylococcus were written, we now understand it to be at the forefront of many disease processes, one of which is staphylococcal pneumonia. Staphylococcus remains at the forefront of infectious disease due to its enzyme production of protease, lipase, hyaluronidase, as well as its ability to make penicillin binding protein 2A (PBP-2A) through the mecA gene, leading to the staphylococcal strain known as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). This escalates its ability to become resistant to previous and current antibiotic therapies.[1]
What is the best test for staphylococcal pneumonia?
Initial evaluation for staphylococcal pneumonia starts with the same foundational workup for those suspected of having any etiology of CAP. A complete blood count (CBC) will likely show leukocytosis with a neutrophilic predominance. The gold standard for diagnosing pneumonia with the appropriate clinical suspicion is the presence of infiltrate on a chest radiograph.[8] The infiltrate on a chest radiograph can show lobar infiltrate or in severe patients can show cavitary lesions and empyema. If the clinical syndrome supports the diagnosis of pneumonia, but the chest radiograph does not reveal pathology, a computed tomography (CT) scan can be performed to further evaluate for pathology in the lungs.
What is the microbiome of the alveoli?
Bacteria and viruses are part of the healthy microbiome of the lower respiratory tract, and the majority of the microbiome of the alveoli are composed of anaerobic flora and microaerophilic streptococci. One mechanism of the development of pneumonia is the replication and multiplication of these organisms. Another mechanism is a breakdown of the host's innate immune system, which can lead to overwhelming multiplication of the normal healthy lower respiratory tract flora.[6] It is known that tobacco and alcohol use can alter the host defense and predispose to the development of pneumonia. More specific to staphylococcal pneumonia, microaspiration of staph species in the nares can lead to the development of staphylococcal pneumonia. Hematogenous spread from staphylococcal bacteremia can also develop into staphylococcal pneumonia, and this can be seen in staphylococcal endocarditis.
What is the role of nurses in pneumonia?
Nursing staff should also have a broad suspicion as they are foundational to patient care and help add information that the patient may not have alluded to during the initial encounter. Pharmacy staff should also be utilized to their fullest potential as antibiotic therapy and stewardship are essential to practice to help not only treat this disease process but also prevent antibiotic resistance in the future.
Is staphylococcal pneumonia a comorbid condition?
Prognosis of staphylococcal pneumonia is very much dependent on the patient's comorbid conditions, underlying lung disease, and sequelae of this disease process. Prognosis is more guarded if the patient becomes bacteremic, and this further alludes to the importance of astute clinical suspicion and appropriate antibiotic intervention.
What is the biofilm produced by Staphylococcus epidermidis?
Staphylococcus epidermidis, normally found on human skin, is capable of biofilm formation when it expresses poly saccharide intracellular adhesin (PIA). Production of PIA is a virulence factor that is associated with S. epidermidis strains found in opportunistic infections.
What is the epidermidis?
S. epidermidis mainly colonizes human skin and is a health concern due to its involvement in hospital-acquired infections. The organisms are frequently detected in saliva and dental plaque and are thought to be associated with periodontitis, acute and chronic pulpitis, pericoronitis, dry socket, and angular stomatitis.
What is the diameter of a S. epidermidis colony?
Colonies of S. epidermidis are round, raised, shiny, gray, and have complete edges. The diameter is approximately 2.5 mm. They usually do not produce a hemolytic zone. Strains that can produce mucus form translucent sticky colonies.
What is the PIA in staph?
Staphylococcus epidermidis, normally found on human skin, is capable of biofilm formation when it expresses polysaccharide intracellular adhesin (PIA). Production of PIA is a virulence factor that is associated with S. epidermidis strains found in opportunistic infections. Phase variation of PIA can occur by transposition of IS 256 into biosynthetic genes for PIA, icaA, or icaC ( Ziebuhr et al., 1999 ). However, unlike IS 492 and IS 1301, insertion does not appear to be targeted to a specific target sequence within these loci, and precise excision occurs at a very low frequency (10 −8 per cell per generation). Thus, the phase variation of PIA in S. epidermidis appears to reflect the plasticity that most insertion elements confer to their resident genomes.
What are the cells of Staphylococcus spherical?
The cells of Staphylococcus are characterized as spherical (0.5–1.5 μm in diameter), gram-positive, aflagellar, and nonmotile cocci organized as single cells, pairs, tetrads, and clusters. However, they tend to form botryoid clusters.
What temperature does a staph grow?
saccharolylicus, which is an anaerobic bacterium. The optimal temperature for the growth of Staphylococcus is between 18 °C and 40 °C. Most members of the Staphylococcus genus can grow in media containing 10% NaCl. The type species of Staphylococcus is S. aureus.
What are the members of the staph genus?
Members of the Staphylococcus genus are gram-positive cocci and belong to the Micrococcus family. The organisms are widely spread in the environment. Early on, three species were isolated from clinical samples: Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermidis, and S. saprophyticus. In the early 1980s, analysis of biochemical reactions (e.g., mannitol fermentation) and cellular components (e.g., the availability of coagulase) resulted in the division of the Staphylococcus genus into subgroups of pathogenic and nonpathogenic species. In Bergey’s Manual of Systematic Bacteriology, members of the Staphylococcus genus are divided into four groups and 19 species based on cell wall composition and nucleic acid analysis.
How does S. epidermidis detach from the biofilm?
We know that biofilm detachment in S. epidermidis is controlled by the quorum-sensing system agr, as biofilms that are agr -dysfunctional produce thicker biofilms and have an obvious defect in detachment 68, 78. In S. aureus a model has been proposed that involves agr expression at the exposed layers of a biofilm, promoting detachment of cell clusters from the biofilm surface, thereby controlling biofilm expansion 42. Likewise, S. epidermidis agr activity is limited to the biofilm surface 43, indicating a common staphylococcal mechanism of quorum-sensing-controlled biofilm detachment. Two detachment mechanisms have been proposed: enzymatic degradation of biofilm exopolymers and disruption of non-covalent interaction by detergent-like molecules ( Fig. 1 ). With regard to enzymatic degradation of proteinaceous biofilm factors as suggested in S. aureus 44, evidence for such a function of proteases in biofilm detachment in S. epidermidis has not been obtained. However, S. epidermidis produces a series of exoproteases with relatively low substrate specificity that may serve to degrade surface proteins 81 – 83. As for degradation of biofilm exopolysaccharide, staphylococci do not appear to have a dedicated enzyme for PNAG/PIA hydrolysis in contrast to several other bacteria with PNAG/PIA production 84, 85. Alternatively, detergent-like molecules may disrupt non-covalent such as electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions, as for example between the cationic PNAG/PIA and anionic surface polymers, or between hydrophobic parts of the bacterial surface. The short amphipathic phenol-soluble modulins (PSMs) that include the S. epidermidis δ-toxin have been proposed to have such a function 45 ( Fig. 4 ). Both S. epidermidis PSMs and exoproteases are strictly agr -regulated 87, 88, lending support to the idea that they may be candidates for biofilm structuring activity.
Which bacterial species is most commonly isolated from human epithelia?
S. epidermidis – the species. Staphylococci are common bacterial colonizers of the skin and mucous membranes of humans and other mammals 4. S. epidermidis in particular is the most frequently isolated species from human epithelia. It colonizes predominantly the axillae, head, and nares 5.
What is the most common cause of nosocomial infections?
In particular, S. epidermidis represents the most common source of infections on indwelling medical devices.
How do cationic AMPs attach to the cytoplasmic membrane?
Cationic AMPs attach to the negatively charged bacterial surface and membrane by electrostatic interaction, a prerequisite for AMP antimicrobial activity, which is often based on pore formation in the bacterial cytoplasmic membrane. The S. epidermidis ApsS AMP sensor has one short extracellular loop with a high density of negatively charged amino acid residues that interacts with cationic AMPs. Transduction of this signal via ApsS and the accessory, essential ApsX, which has a yet unknown function, triggers expression of key AMP resistance mechanisms. The D-alanylation of teichoic acids, encoded by the products of the dlt operon, and lysylation of phosphatidylglycerol, catalyzed by the MprF enzyme, result in a decreased negative charge of the cell surface and membrane, respectively, leading to decreased attraction, or repulsion, of cationic AMPs. The VraFG ABC transporter also promotes resistance to AMPs and likely functions as an AMP exporter.
What is the most frequently isolated ST2?
Most isolates belong to clonal complex (CC) 2 , which comprises the most frequently isolated ST2. Possibly, the successful spread of ST2 may be due to the fact that all ST2 isolates contain IS256 insertion sequences and ica genes 7, two factors found correlated with S. epidermidis invasiveness 13 – 16.
Does Staphylococcus epidermidis cause disease?
While nosocomial infections by Staphylococcus epidermidis have gained much attention, this skin colonizer has apparently not evolved to cause disease, but maintain the commonly benign relationship with its host. Accordingly, S. epidermidis does not produce aggressive virulence determinants.
Is S. epidermidis a pathogen?
An opportunistic pathogen. As part of the human epithelial microflora, S. epidermidis usually has a benign relationship with its host. Furthermore, it has been proposed that S. epidermidis may have a probiotic function by preventing colonization of more pathogenic bacteria such as S. aureus 17.
