Staphylococcus aureus

Infections and Diseases


Skin infections (boils, impetigo, abscesses)


Food poisoning (pre-formed enterotoxins)


Pneumonia


Endocarditia


Sepsis


Toxic shock syndrome (TSS)

Morphological Details

Coccus (spherical)


Clusters


Gram-positive

Purple Ring
Click Model to View in 3D!

Identifiable Physical Features

Circular & Convex


1-2 mm diameter


Golden-yellow (aureus, meaning “golden”)


Smooth, shiny, buttery consistency


Beta-hemolytic (clear zone on blood agar)


Facultative Anaerobe

Additional Facts

Antibiotic resistance concerns:


-Resistant to methicillin, penicillin, amoxicillin, and oxacillin


-Vancomycin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VRSA): Extremely rare but deadly


-Resistant to vancomycin, one of the last-resort antibiotics


Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin, the first antibiotic, after noticing that S. aureus colonies were killed by a Penicillium mold on his Petri dish


Apart of the normal flora on the skin and mucus membranes