Staphylococcus epidermidis
| Categorization | |
|---|---|
| Cell Wall: Gram Positive | Shape: Cocci |
| Biochemistry: Catalase Positive, Coagulase Negative | |
| Associated factors |
|---|
- Polysaccharide capsule allows adherence to prosthetic devices.
| Culture and Detection |
|---|
- Blood cultures are frequently contaminated with S. epidermidis as needle passes through the skin. Generally, consider a S. epidermidis bactermia if blood draws from two separate places grow the organism.
| Clinical Consequences |
|---|
- Overview
- In healthy individuals S. epidermidis is part of the normal skin flora. The organism results in clinical disease only in patients possessing prosthetic devices to which the bacteria can easily adhere.
- Possible Pathologies
- Septic Arthritis via prosthetic joints
- Infective Endocarditis via prosthetic heart valves
- Bacteremia and sepsis via intravenous lines
- UTI via foley catheter.
| Treatment |
|---|
- S. epidermidis is resistant to many antibiotics so first choice is Vancomycin.