Staphylococcus

Methicillin-resistant Staphylcoccus aureus, more commonly known as MRSA, is a type of bacteria that is famous for causing infections. It can infect the bloodstream, lungs, heart, and bones. These infections can be life-threatening if not properly treated. An MRSA infection is generally “hospital-acquired”. Of course, some patients have a higher risk of infection than others. Someone with an invasive medical device like an IV line or a catheter could contract MRSA. Patients who stayed in…

individuals that can acquire this infection. The article also mentions that MRSA has been found in pets, and in animals that we consume, which include pigs, and cows. The primary research article,” RNA-Seq Reveals Differential Gene Expression in Staphylococcus aureus with Single-Nucleotide Resolution,” much like the previous article, “What is MRSA,”exhibits a scientific, factual tone is relating its message. However unlike the previous article, the format of this article follows the scientific…

According to archaeological evidence, dental caries went from rare to common when our ancestors began to farm.1 This fact will be important as we begin to study the characteristics of Streptococcus mutans that enables them to be the main initiators of dental caries in human subjects. The human mouth contains hundreds of species of bacteria, some improve oral health while some do not. Streptococcus mutans is one of the worst of these bacteria. “Streptococcus mutans [does] have a prominent,…

The genera Streptococcus and Enterococcus both consist of Gram-positive cocci that are typically arranged in pairs or chains during growth.5 These bacteria are non-spore forming, facultative anaerobes.1, 5,6 While some are important members of the normal human microbiota, others are pathogenic and cause human diseases.1, 6 Thus far, the classification of these bacteria into major categories has been based on: 1. Serologic specificity of the cell wall group antigens (Lancefield antigens) and…

Impetigo is the most common bacterial infection in children. This is a highly contagious infection of the superficial layers of the epidermis and is primarily caused by Streptococcus pyogenes or Staphylococcus aureus (1). Sometimes Streptococcus or strep bacteria can cause impetigo. It is most common in children between the ages of two and six, although anyone can become infected. The most common form of impetigo is called Impetigo contagiosa. This type usually starts as a red sore on your…

Streptococcus is a genus of non-motile gram-positive cocci classified by serological types (Lancefield groups A through T), by hemolytic action (a, B, Y) when grown on blood agar, and by reaction to bacterial viruses (phage types 1 to 86). The various species occur in pairs, short chains, and chains. Some are facultative aerobes, and some are anaerobic. Some species also are hemolytic, and others are non-hemolytic. Many species cause disease in humans. Streptococcus faecalis, a…

There are three vital clinically critical species: Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus saprophyticus, and Staphylococcus aureus. S. epidermidis, as its name infers, is the most continuous tenant of human surfaces, including skin and mucous layers (Morello, et al., 2013, p. 145). It is not typically pathogenic, but rather it might cause genuine contaminations on the off chance that it has a chance to enter past surface boundaries, for instance, in heart surgery patients or those with…

antibiotics and continue to multiply. This is causing medical and science communities to grow more and more uneasy as therapeutic levels of antibiotics are becoming less and less effective toward bacterial control. MRSA, or Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is one type of antibiotic resistant bacteria, also known as a “super bug”. MRSA, along with cases of many other super bug cases have increased dramatically in the last few decades as hospitals have exposed large amounts of…

Katelyn Baker 09-27-2014 Monday-Thursday 7:30-9:30 MRSA: Lori Popp’s Story I had the chance to listen to guest speaker Lori Popp talk about what happened to her after going through a bariatric operation and the complications that came with it. Her story really opened my eyes to what is happening in the world and health care settings. She taught me to be cautious because not every health care worker takes the proper precautions when working with their patients. This is how she acquired MRSA,…

The reasoning behind calling MRSA (Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus) a “superbug” is that it is resistant to most antibiotics. Since early childhood, we have been given antibiotics for maladies that don’t even warrant the use of them like colds or flu. The more antibiotics we take, the more likely the bacteria will mutate to a strain that is resistant. Just like with evolution, our bodies are always changing. Remember our appendix? We used to need it when we didn’t know how to…