For several decades, vancomycin, a large glycopeptide from actinomyces ( Walsh, 1993), has been the antibiotic of choice against MRSA infections ( Lowy, 1998). aureus ( Brumfitt and Hamilton-Miller, 1989). Drug-sensitive strains are typically referred to as MSSA or methicillin-sensitive S. aureus is readily exposed to all antibiotic therapies ( Neu, 1992), which has led to the selection of drug-resistant strains commonly designated as MRSA for methicillin-resistant S. Guidelines for BSL2 practice can be obtained from the latest edition of Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL, 5th Edition) via the following CDC Web link. aureus strains must be performed following biosafety level 2 measures including experimental work in certified biosafety cabinets. The organism has been placed in Risk Group Level 2. aureus is a highly virulent and adaptable pathogen with the ability to infect, invade, persist, and replicate in any human tissue including skin, bone, visceral organs, or vasculature ( Lowy, 1998). An excellent summary of these metabolic pathways was recently published ( Götz et al., 2006).ĬAUTION: S. aureus cells growing in aerobic conditions oxidize D-galactose, acetate, succinate and malate. There is no evidence for the existence of the Entner-Doudoroff pathway however, enzymes of the entire tricarboxylic acid cycle and a typical F0F1-ATPase are encoded by the genome of S. The bacterium metabolizes glucose via the pentose phosphate pathway ( Reizer et al., 1998). aureus is a facultative anaerobe that grows by aerobic respiration or by fermentation, which yields principally lactic acid. aureus also produces catalase when applied to colony material, the catalase test is a rapid, useful test to distinguish staphylococci from other Gram-positive bacteria such as streptococci. aureus cells appear perfectly spherical with a diameter of ~1 μm ( Giesbrecht et al., 1998). Clustering is caused by the incomplete separation of daughter cells following division in three alternating perpendicular planes ( Tzagoloff and Novick, 1977 Giesbrecht et al., 1998). aureus infections (for a historical account of the coagulase test, follow the link ).Īll Staphylococci grow in clusters, a feature that can be visualized by microscopy and accounts for the Greek name σταΦυλoκoκκo ς or grape-like berry. These traits have been useful for the early and rapid diagnosis of S.
aureus displays several striking microbiological properties, e.g., the microbe binds immunoglobulins and agglutinates with or coagulates blood and plasma ( Loeb, 1903 Much, 1908 Forsgren and Sjöquist, 1966 Cheng et al., 2011). The name Staphylococcus aureus was chosen to distinguish this species with its characteristic yellow colony pigment from another staphylococcal commensal that forms white colonies ( Staphylococcus albus, now designated Staphylococcus epidermidis) ( Rosenbach, 1884 Götz et al., 2006).
Using Koch’s postulates for the identification of pathogenic microbes, Ogston identified the etiological agent of suppurative abscesses ( Ogston, 1883).