S. Aureus Epidemic: A Case Study

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

The Staphylococcus aureus bacteria belongs to the Staphylococcaceae family. It is small, round shaped, and non-motile. Staphylococcus aureus stains gram positive and can often be found in small clusters (Mandal, 2010). It often forms chains and is a large contributor of soft tissue infections. It is of a yellow color, hence the name ?aureus? which comes from the Latin term ?aurum? for gold (Orenstein, n.d.). Staphylococcus aureus is found in a few spots on the human body, such as the nasal passage, the skin, the oral cavity, and even the gastrointestinal tract. Staphylococci and Streptococci are two different strands of the bacteria and are very hard to distinguish from one another. In order to tell the difference between them, without a microscope, a catalase test needs to be performed. The test is undergone by adding 3% hydrogen peroxide to both samples. Since Staphylococci are catalase positive, meaning they produce catalase, they will produce O? while the Streptococci will not because Streptococci are catalase negative (Todar, n.d.).

Staphylococcus aureus is a gram positive bacterium. It is accountable for numerous conditions when it crosses the threshold into the human body. The bacterium may also be referred to as a ‘Staph infection’. There are more than 28 different types of staphylococcus aureus that are responsible for cellulitis, blood poisoning, and various others. Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus is also a type of staphylococcus aureus. Staph infections are curable with different antibiotics.

Staphylococcus aureus is a cluster bacterium that can be found on the skin of around 25% of healthy adults. This bacterium is growing everyday all over the world and many people have no idea they are even carriers. “Staphylococcus aureus is present in the nose of adults (temporarily in 60% and permanently in 20 to 30%) and sometimes on the skin” (Levison). This bacterium has the ability to cause skin infection and sometimes may lead to severe life threatening diseases. There are several different strains of staphylococcus and depending on the severity of the infection is how a health care provider decides the treatment most efficient. Impetigo is more common in children, but adults still have the chance of getting this skin condition. Toxic Shock Syndrome is also associated with S. aureus and is found in at least 50% of the cases to date. S. aureus can display a variety of symptoms and all vary with the disease at hand. Symptoms can range from a boil on the skin or in the nose to skin rashes. More severe symptoms can be carbuncles and infection of the blood (sepsis).Staphylococcus aureus is an ugly bacterium; that can lead to several diseases, such as Toxic Shock Syndrome and Impetigo. S. aureus has multiple symptoms and is treated with a variety of antibiotics.

aureus. There are many strains that contains various virulence factors. Two important virulence factors that were detailed in research performed by Fitzgerald et al. [6] and Mehrotra et al. [7] were Toxic Shock Syndrome Toxin-1 (TSST-1) and Staphylococcal Enterotoxin C (SEC). Both toxins have been detected in the DNA of some S. aureus strains. Should these strains be transmitted to infants they are most definitely a possible cause of death if actively encoded by the bacteria. These toxins are known to be quick and activate immune response to such a high degree that the patient succumbs to the infection. Various hospital studies have been performed to study transmission by objects, such as that by Grundmannn et al. [8]. These are significant to this study since infants often put items in their mouth that are not always clean and safe for them to contact. The study by Grundmannn et al. [8] also indicated that hospital beds were contaminated with S. aureus which is significant to beds within households that infants may lay in. Introducing rabbit models to contaminated objects such as water bottle tips and bedding will elucidate the transmission routes these items can provide to infants. In SIDS cases, breast fed infants, observed by Highet et al. [9], tested higher for S. aureus than healthy infants did and slightly higher than non-breastfed SIDS cases. In In Aim 1 of this research we plan to elucidate the transmission

More than often this microorganism are passed to the individual by a facilitated hospital, which gives rise to the great importance in the study of this bug and particular strains(Espedido). For students that aspire to be part of the healthcare field they will deal with Staphylococcus often and should identify thoughts that are carriers, transmitters, and infected by this bacteria with ease (Kiser 67). Notably, within twenty minutes of a baby being born Staphylococcus has already taken space on the skin, and throughout the course of life everyone will at some point be effected by this super bug. The uniqueness of this bacterium has many virulent factors, it could be caused by an alteration in own bacteria DNA, exposure, transmission, infections among many other ways to bring hostility to one’s life (Tristan). As the years progress, so has medicine; nevertheless, shown in a recent article relating to the resistance of Staphylococcus aureus, more and more people are being infected and die

Oxford University wrote a journal on how Staphylococcus aureus lacking a cell wall-bound protein A found in isolate from bacteremia, MRSA infection, and a healthy nasal carrier lead to truncation and secretion of Staphylococcal protein A (SpA). Staphylococcus aureus is a major human pathogen that has multiple virulence factors allowing it to cause infections that can be superficial lesions to life threatening conditions. SpA contributes to S. aureus pathogen by interfering with the immune system response and the activation of inflammation. Despite S. aureus’s virulence factors it is also commensal. S. aureus is found in the anterior nares of 20-30 percent of the healthy human population. The object of this experiments was to investigate seven

Staphylococcus aureus- Is a facultative anaerobic, Gram-positive, salt positive, cocci shaped bacterium. Staphylococcus aureus is found as normal part of the skin floral in the nasal passages and on the skin. An estimated twenty percent of people naturally have harmless Staphylococcus aureus on their skin and are long-term carries for Staphylococcus aureus. Staphylococcus aureus is the most common strand of Staphylococcus in humans to date, spread through skin to skin contact or even skin to object contact that an a person infected with Staphylococcus aureus has touched. Staphylococcus aureus is coagulase positive, which induces clumping of the cells and of the blood. Staphylococcus

First of all, what causes S. aureus to survive is the genetic discovery that was made. An experiment was done with several different strains of S. aureus to see similarities and differences. Genetic variation among strains that had the most abundant disease causing clonal lineages of S. aureus, with 332 ORFs absent in one strain compared to a reference strain COL was identified. Also 2,198 (78%) of the 2,817 ORFs represented on the DNA microarray were present in all S. aureus strains tested. The results suggested that these genes were essential for S. aureus cell maintenance. Some of these 2,198 genes encoded known virulence factors. This gave reason to suggest these genes were a critical role for these proteins in staphylococcal survival and pathogenesis. (Fitz 2001)

Staphylococcus Aureus, commonly known as “Staph”, is present on most of the population on our skin and in our nostrils and throat. It can live on even the healthiest, cleanliest individuals. The staph bacteria do not cause harm until there is an open area or break in the human’s main defense system, the skin. Once the bacteria enter the wound, an infection may occur.

Nowadays seen as an important opportunistic pathogen “Staphylococcus epidermidis is one of thirty-three known species belonging to the genus Staphylococcus” (5). It can be found within the mucous membranes, as a part of the skin flora, and in animals. If S. epidermidis comes in contact with a person who has a compromised immune system, it may cause infection merely to those inside of hospital settings. It like to live on the surface, but once inside a host can cause serious problems. There are many different strands of Staphylococcus, but this particular bacterium was “first differentiated from other forms of Staphylococcus in 1884 by Friedrich Julius Rosenbach" (6). S. flexneri causes dysentery that results in the destruction of the epithelial

The Staphylococci species are abundant in our environment and in the normal flora of the human body. On our bodies, they are found primarily on the skin and upper respiratory tract, as well as the anterior nares and pharyngeal surfaces. Staphylococci are Gram-positive cocci, typically arranged in irregular clusters comparable to grapes. Facultatively anaerobic organisms with the ability to grow well on most nutrient media. Staphylococci are virulent because they are resistant to drying, changes in pH, high temperatures and are highly salt tolerant. The three principal Staphylococci species are Staphylococcus epidermidis (typically found on skin and mucous membranes), Staphylococcus saprophyticus (noted in urinary tract infections), and Staphylococcus aureus, (which colonize the nasal passage and axillae). Even though

The bacterium is normally present on the skin, nose, and pharynx of mammals (Mandal 2015). The bacterium is capable of affecting all known mammalian species (Mandal 2015). S. aureus’ optimal temperature for growth is between 30-37°C; however, it can grow at a minimum temperature of 10°C, and a maximum temperature of 45°C (Todar 2012). It can grow in either an aerobic or anaerobic environment (Herriman 2015). It is considered a normal flora bacterium and is found in places such as the nares, the armpit, perineum, skin fold, and the vagina (Herriman 2015). S. aureus is small and coccus shaped (Mandal 2015). The bacterium is mostly found in clusters, due to the way it multiplies and divides (Herriman 2015). There are no appendages located on the bacteria (Mandal 2015). Infections can be obtained after an injury or a surgery (Mandal 2015). S. aureus can cause skin infections, such as pimples and impetigo, boils, carbuncles, scalded skin syndrome and abscesses, which can lead to lung infection or pneumonia, meningitis, and or endocarditis (Mandal 2015). Life threatening infections include blood infections or Toxic Shock Syndrome, bacteremia, and septicemia (Mandal 2015). S. aureus produces certain enterotoxins, which cannot be killed by cooking and can cause food poisoning (Herriman 2015). The

Life History and Characteristics: Staphylococcus aureus is a gram positive bacterium that is usually found in the nasal passages and on the skin of 15 to 40% of healthy humans, but can also survive in a wide variety of locations in the body. This bacterium is spread from person to person or to fomite by direct contact. Colonies of S. aureus appear in pairs, chains, or clusters. S. aureus is not an organism that is contained to one region of the world and is a universal health concern, specifically in the food handling industries.

Unknown 10 is Staphylococcus xylosus. The genus Staphylococcus consist of bacteria that are known to cause most surgical and skin infections, respiratory disease, and food poisoning (5). It was first discovered by a surgeon named Alexander Ogston, who noticed a surgical abscess in a knee joint (5). He described the genus as having a grape bunch appearance. The genus name is derived from the Greek root staphyle meaning bunch of grapes, and kokkos meaning berry (5).