Staphylococcus

Microbiology
Systematic microbiology
Staphylococcus
• Introduction:
• Staphylococci are Gram positive cocci arranged in,grape-like clusters. They are
the commonest cause of suppuration.
• Sir Alexander Ogston (1880) a Scottish surgeon, established the pathogenic
role of coccus in abscesses and other suppurative lesions. He gave the name
Staphy lococcus (Staphyle, meaning a bunch of grapes,kokos, meaning a berry)
from the typical arrangement of the cocci in grape like clusters.
• He also observed that staphylococcal strains from pyogenic lesions produce
golden yellow colonies while those from the normal skin produce white
colonies on solid culture media.
• Rosenbach (1884) named them Staph. aureus and Staph.albus respectively.
• Passel (1885) described a third strain of Staphylococcus, that produces lemon
yellow colour and named it as Staph. citreus . Since pigment production
Staphylococcus
 A. Staphylococcus aureus
Staphy lococcus aureus is a pathogenic staphylococcus that causes pyogenic infections in
man.
 B. Staphylococcus epidermidis Staphylococcus epidermidis is a skin commensal.
 C. Staphylococcus saprophyticus
 Staphylococcus saprophyticus acts as an opportunistic pathogen.
 Pathogenic strains (e.g. Staph. aureus) have certain characteristics like production of
enzymes coagulase,phosphatase, deoxyribonuclease and their ability to ferment mannitol.
 Based on production of enzyme coagulase, staphylococci are classified as coagulase
positive
and coagulase negative.
 Most of the coagulase positive strains produce golden yellow colonies and are known as
Staph. aureus (also named as Staph. pyogenes). These strains are toxigenic.
 The coagulase negative strains are generally non-pathogenic, non-toxigenic and form
white
colonies, these are called Staph. epidermidis (formerly known as Staph. albus).
STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS
• A. Morphology
• They are Gram positive cocci arranged in grape-like clusters,
non-motile, non-sporing.
• Size: ~1 μm in diameter .
• They may also be present singly, in pairs, tetrads or short chains
of three or four cells especially when examined from liquid
culture.
• A few strains may possess microscopically visible capsules,
especially in young cultures.
• Many apparently non-capsulated strains also have some amount
of capsular material on the surface.
B. Culture
 They grow readily on ordinary culture media within a temperature range of

10-42°C,
 The optimal temperature : 37°C and
 pH 7.4-7.6.
 They are aerobes and facultative anaerobes.
 Culture media:
 1. Nutrient Agar
 After overnight or 24 hours incubation, the colonies are 2-4 mm in diameter,
circular, smooth, convex, opaque and easily emulsifiable.
 Most of the strains produce golden yellow pigment. The pigment is not
diffusable into the medium.
 Pigment production is best seen at 22- 25°C and only in aerobic cultures.
 Pigment production is enhanced by incorporation of 1 % glycerol monoacetate
or milk in the medium. The pigment is believed to be a carotenoid.
• 2. Blood Agar
• Colonies are similar to those on nutrient agar and in Addition beta type of
haemolysis is seen.
• Haemolysis is best observed with sheep or rabbit blood.
• 3. Mac Conkey's Agar
• Colonies are very small and pink due to lactose fermenter.
• 4. Selective Media .
• These media are used for isolating Staph. aureus from samples such as faeces
containing other bacteria.
• Staphylococci can tolerate 8- 10% NaCl, lithium chloride,tellurite and polymyxin.
Incorporation of these reagents into media make them selective.
• Examples of selective media include salt milk agar (containing 8-10% Nacl)
and Ludlam's medium ( containing lithium chloride and tellurite).
• 5. Mannitol Salt Agar
• This is both a selective and an indiiator medium. It contains nutrient agar with
1% mannitol, 7.5% sodium chloride and phenol red as indicator. Yellow
coloured colonies are seen on this medium due to fermentation on
• of mannitol) by most strains of Staph. aureus.
• Mannitol fermentation leads to production of acid and lowers the pH of
medium (phenol red produces yellow colour in acidic pH).
6. Milk Agar
• This medium is prepared by mixing sterile nutrient agar and
• Sterilzed milk.
• Colonies of Staph. larger thanthose on nutriept agar and pigment production
is enhanced.
• 7. Liquid Medium:
• Uniform turbity is produced in peptone water or nutrient broth.
• C. Biochemical Reactions
• Staph. aureus is catalase positive (unlike
streptococci)and oxidase negative.
• It breaks down carbohydrates by fermentation
whereas micrococci break down aerobically.
• This property can be tested on Hugh-Leifson
O/F medium.

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Microbiology

 They grow readily on ordinary culture media within a temperature range of

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