Review of Related Literature

Unlike many environmental bacteria, Pseudomonas aeruginosa has a remarkable capacity to cause disease in susceptible hosts. It has the ability to adapt to and thrive in many ecological niches, from water and soil to plant and animal tissues. The bacterium is capable of utilizing a wide range of organic compounds as food sources, thus giving it an exceptional ability to

Staphylococcus aureus is the leading cause of skin and soft tissue infections, it can cause serious infections such as bloodstream infection, pneumonia or bone infections. Though it can cause infections it is part of the normal human flora it is mostly found on the skin or in nasal cavities. It is a facultative anaerobic gram positive cocci, it is usually in pairs or clusters. The bacterium is also catalase positive, oxidase

P. aeruginosa is a ubiquitous Gram-negative bacterium that thrives in moist environmental reservoirs such as in the soil, water and plants8, 9. P. aeruginosa is an opportunistic human pathogen that infects immunocompromised individuals, lending to its association with life-threatening illnesses10. In addition to pulmonary infections in CF patients, P. aeruginosa is frequently found in nosocomial infections11. As such, P. aeruginosa is recognized for its medical importance in clinical infections.

skin condition that staph is able to cause is cellulitis. It is more common in people who have a weakened immune system such as people who are immunocompromised, infants, and the elderly. Cellulitis is characterized by a red, warm patch on the skin paired with a fever. “The bacteria that cause cellulitis can spread rapidly, entering lymph nodes and your bloodstream. Recurrent episodes of cellulitis may cause chronic swelling of the affected limb” (Mayo, 2015). Cellulitis is spread extremely easily, and is a big issue within long term care facilities. The infection can be cured by antibiotics. However, there are cases reported stating that cellulitis is becoming resistant to some antibiotics. The doctor can order a culture to send to pathology.

What are these other serious illnesses that are caused by group A Streptococcus? What is group A Streptococcus? Group A streptococci are bacteria commonly found in the throat and on the skin. The vast majority of GAS infections are relatively mild illnesses, such as strep throat and impetigo. Occasionally, however, these bacteria can cause much more severe and even life threatening diseases such as necrotizing fasciitis (occasionally described as "the flesh-eating bacteria") and streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS). In addition, people may carry group A streptococci in the throat or on the skin and have no symptoms of disease.

Staph are common bacteria that are denizens of the human body. It is perfectly fine to carry staph; a lot of healthy people hold it within their bodies without being infected by it. Furthermore, one third of the population has staph bacteria in their noses. However, staph can rapidly become quite a problem if it manages to enter the body, usually through a cut, and cause an infection. Staph is one of the most popular causes of skin infections in the U.S. Most infections are minor, not fatal, and don’t require special treatment, but some can be disastrously life-threatening, creating festering wounds or pneumonia.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, is a bacterium that is resistant to many available high- level beta-lactam antibiotics, which include penicillins, “antistaphylococcal” penicillins and cephalosporins. Staphyloccoci are the most important bacteria that cause disease in humans. MRSA is sometimes branded as a nosocomial infection as it usually plagues patients that are receiving treatment in a hospital. The skin is the most common site of infection, where MRSA can cause cellulitis, folliculitis, or boils in the skin, but can also commonly be found in the nose, underarm, groin, upper respiratory tract, intestine, vagina and rectal areas of the body. MRSA infections occur with there is a break in the skin that allows the Methicillin resistant

The purpose of this laboratory exercise was to perform tests necessary to be able to distinguish one microorganism from 10 others. Using a series of biochemical tests and characteristics, unknown #22 was concluded to be Pseudomonas aeruginosa. A dichotomous key was mapped out and used during this process. Using this provided guidance as well as organization as to what the result may be.

In addition the infections led to boils, impetigo (a contagious skin disease caused by streptococcal bacteria, forming pustules and yellow sores),

The purpose of this experiment was to isolate and identify an unknown Staphylococcus species based on its morphological and biochemical profile (Alachi, 2006). The Staphylococcus genus consists of Gram-Positive bacteria, arranged in grape-like clusters. These species are common residents of the skin and mucous membranes of humans and animals. Majority of Staphylococci are catalase-positive, oxidase negative, aerobic and facultatively anaerobic, and non-motile. They are considered opportunistic pathogens and cause roughly 80% of suppurative skin diseases (e.g., boils). Many Staphylococci

Background: Cystic fibrosis facilitated chronic lung infections caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa have caused many great tribulations within the healthcare field. As a highly opportunistic bacteria, many treatments fail to fully eradicate the biofilms layers within the thick mucosal membrane, which lines the lungs of CF patients.2 The median life expectancy for CF patients is around 40 years, however those who acquire P. aeruginosa within

Staphylococcus aureus is a gram positive cocci that forms grape like clusters, produces catalase, has a peptidoglycan and teichoic acid cell wall, and has a G + C content of DNA ranging from 30-40 mol%. An estimated 20% of the human population is long-term carriers of S. aureus, appearing in the nares of the nasal passages and also part of the natural skin flora which is the most common species of Staphylococcus to cause Staph infections. S. aureus is a successful pathogen due to a combination of nasal carriage and bacterial immuno-evasive strategies. S. aureus can cause minor skin infections, pimples, impetigo, boils or furuncles, cellulitis, folliculitis, carbuncles, scalded skin syndrome, and abscesses. Life-threatening diseases such as pneumonia, meningitis, osteomyelitis, endocarditis, toxic shock syndrome, bacteremia, and sepsis are also caused by pathenogenic S. aureus. Its extent ranges from skin, soft tissue, respiratory, bone, joint, and endovascular to wound infections. Nosocomial infections and often postsurgical wound infections are a commonly caused by S. aureus. S. aureus is also a prominent cause of food poisoning in the US, and can be transmitted by different foods, including milk and

The bacteria that was contained within Unknown tube #12 is believed to be Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Figure 1. The bacteria tested to be Gram Stain negative, producing a pink, red color retained from the staining process. When the species of bacteria was plated on nutrient media, the cells produced an irregular and spreading configuration as shown in Figure 2. This same plating test provided the margins and elevation, lobate and hilly, respectively. The specimen was stabbed in a Fluid Thioglycollate Medium (FTM) tube using an inoculated loop of the bacteria. The results of this experimentation indicate the type of oxygen requirement of the bacteria. The test found the bacteria to be aerobic as colonies of the bacteria began to form along the top of the FTM tube (Manual 2017).

Bacterial urinary tract infections represent the most common type of nosocomial infections. Often, the ability of bacteria to both establish and maintain these infections are directly related to biofilm formation on indwelling devices or within the urinary tract itself (30). Enterococci (especially E. faecalis) are one of the main causative agents of urinary tract infection and Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) besides gram-negative pathogens (31, 32). In these infections Biofilm provides a favorable milieu for microbial survival within the host as the organisms are shielded from the host immune response, as well as antibiotics and antimicrobial agents (33, 34). Several studies conducted to introduce main virulence genes of enterococci that are associated with biofilm formation in these bacteria (11, 13,-17), but virulence mechanism and related genes for biofilm formation are not well understood (35). In this study we investigated biofilm formation of clinical enterococci isolates isolated from Urinary tract infections. These strains were characterized for presence of adhesions and secretory virulence factors. Isolates had diverse presence of virulence from lack to highest amount of virulence genes. Several previous studies investigated relation of virulence genes and biofilm formation, especially presence of esp and gel. Enterococci esp has been implicated as a contributing factor in colonization and persistence of infection within the urinary tract

The release of two exotoxins from certain strains of S. aureus can lead to Staphylococcal scaled skin syndrome (SSSS), which is characterized by blistering skin. Invasion into the body can lead to more serious health problems including pneumonia (a frequent complication of influenza), mastitis, phlebitis (inflammation of the veins), meningitis, and urinary tract infections. If the bacterium is allowed to colonize even deeper tissues more serious conditions such as osteomyelitis and endocarditis may result. The most serious consequences of these deeper tissue infections occur when the bacterium invades the bloodstream leading to septic shock and possibly death.