Main menu:
a. Gram positive cocci, arranged in grape-like clusters
a. Physiology: facultative anaerobei. Can use glucose, sucrose, and lactoseb. Virulence factors:i. Relatively avirulentii. Adhesin Polysaccharide1. Promotes adherence and allows the organism the ability to form biofilms on inserted devices2. It produces a polysaccharide slide layer which is key to adherencea. Slime layer also interferes with phagocytosis.iii. S. epidermidis often resistant to antibiotics such as methicillin, amoxicillin and penicillin
a. Normal human florab. Found on skin and mucosal surfaces
a. Catalase positiveb. Coagulase negativec. Non-hemolyticd. Sensitive to novobiocin – distinguishes it from S. saprophyticus
a. An Opportunistic Pathogeni. Nosocomial that is associated with infections of catheters, shunts and prosthetic devices and resulting in endocarditis (especially during heart valve replacement), wound infections, urinary tract infections