Case studies (for revision)

Question 1

A man comes to your clinic with food poisoning and so you take a stool sample and discover the bacteria is coagulase positive. What is the bacteria and what is the disease?

Answer 1

Food poisoning caused by Staphylococcus aureus

Question 2

A woman comes to you for a hip replacement and then feels some pain from that area. You soon discover that the hip replacement is infected and the bacteria is a gram positive coagulase negative ball shaped bacteria arranged in grape-like formation. What is the disease most likely caused by? What else can cause this?

Answer 2

Staphylococcus epidermis

Staphylococcus saprophyticus can also potentially cause it but it is unlikely.