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Staphyloccocus aureus

Staphylococcus is one of the five most common causes of Infections after injury or surgery. It affects around 500,000 patients in American hospitals annually. It is abbreviated to S. aureus or “Staph aureus” in medical literature. S. aureus was discovered in Aberdeen, Scotland in 1880 by the surgeon Sir Alexander Ogston in pus from surgical abscesses.

Staph infections may cause disease due to direct infection or due to the production of toxins by the bacteria. Boils, impetigo, food poisoning, cellulitis, and Toxic Shock Syndrome are all examples of diseases that can be caused by Staphylococcus.

The name Staphylococcus comes from the Greek staphyle, meaning a bunch of grapes, and kokkos, meaning berry, and that is what staph bacteria look like under the microscope, like a bunch of grapes or little round berries. (In technical terms, these are gram-positive, facultative anaerobic, usually unencapsulated cocci.)



Staphylococcus aureus belongs to the family Staphylococcaceae. It affects all known mammalian species, including humans.  Further due to its ability to affect a wide range of species, S. aureus can be readily transmitted from one species to another. This includes transmission between humans and animals.

When S. aureus is isolated from an abscess or boil or other skin lesion, it is usually due to its secondary invasion of a wound rather than the primary cause of disease. S. aureus may similarly be isolated from abscesses, breast absecesses or mastitis, dermatitis or skin infections and genital tract infections.

SIDE EFFECTS

Of the variety of manifestations S. aureus may cause:

  1. Minor skin infections, such as pimples, impetigo etc.;
  2. It may cause boils (furuncles), cellulitis folliculitis, carbuncles;
  3. It is the cause of scalded skin syndrome and abscesses;
  4. It may lead to lung infections or pneumonia;
  5. Brain infections or meningitis;
  6. Bone infections or osteomyelitis;
  7. Heart infections or endocarditis;
  8. Generalized life threatening blood infections or Toxic shock syndrome (TSS), bacteremia and septicaemia.

TRANSMISSION

S. aureus may occur commonly in the environment. S. aureus is transmitted through air droplets or aerosol. When an infected person coughs or sneezes, he or she releases numerous small droplets of saliva that remain suspended in air. These contain the bacteria and can infect others.


Another common method of transmission is through direct contact with objects that are contaminated by the bacteria or by bites from infected persons or animals. Approximately 30% of healthy humans carry S. aureus in their nose, back of the throat and on their skin.



TREATMENT

Staphylococcus aureus causes a variety of manifestations and diseases. The treatment of choice for S. aureus infection is penicillin. In most countries, S. aureus strains have developed a resistance to penicillin due to production of an enzyme by the bacteria called penicillinase.

The first line therapy is penicillinase-resistant penicillins like oxacillin or flucloxacillin. Therapy is often given in combination with aminoglycosides like gentamicin for more serious infections. The duration of treatment depends on the site of infection and on severity.

S. aureus strains may become resistant to penicillin by producing enzymes like penicillinase that destroys the antibiotic. This is a form of β-lactamase which breaks down the β-lactam ring of the penicillin molecule. To overcome this molecules resistant to penicillinase have been developed. These include:

S. aureus strains may become resistant to penicillin by producing enzymes like penicillinase that destroys the antibiotic. This is a form of β-lactamase which breaks down the β-lactam ring of the penicillin molecule. To overcome this molecules resistant to penicillinase have been developed. These include:

  1. methicillin;
  2. nafcillin;
  3. oxacillin;
  4. cloxacillin;
  5. dicloxacillin;
  6. flucloxacillin.

sources:

http://www.news-medical.net/health/What-is-Staphylococcus-Aureus.aspx

http://www.medicinenet.com/staph_infection/page2.htm


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methicillin-resistant_Staphylococcus_aureus

http://jbjs.org/content/96/11/882

http://textbookofbacteriology.net/staph_2.html

http://www.slideshare.net/doctorrao/vancomycin-resistant-staphylococcus

http://www.healthline.com/health/mrsa

http://www.slideshare.net/hintsagebreagziabhea/staphylococcus-and-streptococcus

http://www.bacteria.cz/staphylococcus-aureus-infections.html

http://www.medicinenet.com/staph_infection/page5.htm


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This post first appeared on The Book Of Health, please read the originial post: here

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Staphyloccocus aureus

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