Staph Flashcards
What does staphylococci look like microscopically?
Gram +
Cocci
Grape clusters
- What is this organism?
- Is it catalase + or - ?
- Staphylococci
- Catalase +
List the differences between staphylococcus and micrococcus in the following criteria:
- Size
- Shape
- Gram stain
- Colony color
- Hemolysis
- O2 requirement
- Salt tolerance
- Staphylococcus
- Small
- Spherical
- Gram positive
- White to golden in color
- Some hemolytic
- Facultative O2 requirement
- Good salt tolerance
- Micrococcus
- Big
- Not always spherical
- Decolorizes easily
- Clear to yellow in color
- Non - hemolytic
- Obligate aerobe
- Poor salt tolerance
What are 2 things staphylococci are resistnat to?
- Heat (except boiling)
- Disinfectants
What are the white, non-hemolytic staphylococci?
Staphylococcus epidermidis
What is this organism? Which staph species?
Staphylococcus aureus
(Notice the gold color of the colonies)
What is the natural habitat of Staphylococcus aureus?
- Skin
- Mucous membranes
- Oral cavity
In which 3 types of disease processes can staphylococcus aureus be found?
- Wound infections
- Mastitis
- Boils
- Which type of teichoic acid is in S. aureus?
- Which type of teichoic acid is in S. epidermidis?
- Polyribitol
- Polyglycerol
Teichoic acid is released from the S. aureus cell and combines with antibodies present. What does this cause?
Consumption of complement components up through C5
Which species of Staphylococcus have Protein A?
S. aureus
S. pseudointermedius
What biological effects/functions does Protein A have?
- Chemotactant
- Antiphagocytic
- Platelet injury
- Anticomplement
Protein A serves as a receptor for what?
Fc fragment of immunoglobulin molecules
(Binds antibody via that Fc receptor)
What is occuring in the attached image/what is happening?
Protein A coats the surface of S. aureus and S. pseudointermedius. It serves as a receptor for the Fc portion of the host’s immunoglobulin molecules. This allows the Staph organism to coat itself in HOST ANTIBODY. By doing so, the bacterium resists chemotaxis, phagocytosis, complement, and causes platelet injury on top of that.
The capsule in S. aureus is an important virulence factor to which disease processes?
- Mastitis in cattle
- Bacteremia in humans
What is the function of lipases?
Break down bactericidal fatty acids
Staphylococcal hemolysins:
- Alpha hemolysin causes ____ hemolysis
- Beta hemolysin causes ____ hemolysis
- When both are present there is ____ hemolysis
- Alpha hemolysin = BETA hemolysis
- Beta hemolysin = ALPHA hemolysis
- Both = DOUBLE ZONE hemolysis
At what point should you check your plates to most accurately observe DZ beta hemolysis?
24 hours