Bacteria Genomes - STAPHYLOCOCCUS EPIDERMIDIS

Staphylococcus epidermidis is a Gram-positive spherical pathogenic bacteria that occur in microscopic clusters resembling grapes and are common in medical device-associated infections. In 1884, Rosenbach described the two pigmented colony types of staphylococci and proposed the appropriate nomenclature: Staphylococcus aureus (yellow) and Staphylococcus albus (white). The latter species is now named Staphylococcus epidermidis. S epidermidis is an inhabitant of the skin and is non hemolytic. They are facultative anaerobes that grow by aerobic respiration or by fermentation.

The bacterium is responsible for a growing number of infections among hospital patients whose immune systems are weakened. Such infections often start at skin wounds caused by catheters. Little is known about mechanisms of pathogenesis of S. epidermidis infections. A characteristic of many pathogenic strains of S. epidermidis is the production of a slime resulting in biofilm formation. The slime is predominantly a secreted teichoic acid, normally found in the cell wall of the staphylococci. This ability to form a biofilm on the surface of a prosthetic device is probably a significant determinant of virulence for these bacteria.

References:

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=95180
http://genomenewsnetwork.org/sequenced_genomes/genome_guide_p3.shtml#stapep
http://textbookofbacteriology.net/staph.html