Staph

• Staphylococcus is a genus of Gram-positive cocci arranged in grape-like clusters, which are facultative anaerobes, non-motile (non-flagellated), non-spore forming, and catalase positive.
• Culling of cows that remain clinical or cows with chronic mastitis is a part of control and prevention in dairy animals.
• Control and prevention in veterinary hospitals involves using appropriate antiseptics and hand washing.
• Control and prevention in dairy animals involves good hygiene at milking time, use of single use paper towels to dry teats, milkers wearing gloves, teat dip after milking, dry cow therapy at drying off, and separating all infected/positive cows.
• Canine superficial pyoderma can be treated by cleaning practices within veterinary hospitals, use of appropriate antiseptics, and hand washing.
• MIC (µg/ml) threshold value for Staphylococcus as per CLSI (2017) is
• Prevention in dairy animals involves testing all purchased cows before mixing to the herd.
• Staphylococcus species can be differentiated using unique pigment production on mannitol salt agar and purple agar base with 1% maltose.
• S. aureus ferments mannitol and changes the agar color from red to yellow, while S. epidermidis does not ferment mannitol and no agar color change (remain red).
• Blood agar allows determination of the type of hemolysin toxin produced by the isolates.
• Staphylococcus spp can be identified on blood agar using beta, alpha, and gamma hemolysis.
• Non-hemolysis (gamma) by S. epidermidis indicates its safety, while hemolysis by S. aureus indicates its potential pathogenicity.
• Staphyloxanthin, a golden colored carotenoid pigment, is a characteristic of S. aureus and enhances its pathogenicity.
• Superantigens cause 20% of all body T cells to be activated, which is 20 times more than normal antigens.
• Staphylococci adhere and attach to the host cell surface or to matrix between each cell.
• Abscesses mature, rupture, and bacteria spread.
• Some bacteria advance for intracellular invasion, multiplication, and persistence in the host cell.
• Staphylococci elicit inflammation, abscess formation, necrosis, and bacteria encapsulation.
• Enterotoxins are a group of 20 toxins that cause food poisoning by stimulating the gut motility and superantigens.
• Staphylococcus species cause systemic and life-threatening infections such as bacteremia/septicemia, endocarditis (heart valves), metritis, pneumonia, osteomyelitis, meningitis, and toxicosis/shock.
• Staphylococcus species cause food poisoning by stimulating the gut motility and producing enterotoxins.
• Staphylococci form biofilms on the host cell surface for persistence.
• Staphylococcus disease pathogenesis ranges from scalded skin, pus/abscess, gangrene, ear/otitis, mastitis, & urogenital infections to pneumonia, endocarditis (heart valves), meningitis, osteomyelitis, & toxicosis/shock.
• Staphylococci hide in a dormant small colony variant (SCV) form in the sequestra.
• Abscess rupture may lead to bacteremia followed by diverse organ infection.
• Steps in Staphylococcal pathogenesis start with the entry of hundreds of Staphylococci by breaching body barriers.
• Pigs are affected by mastitis (impetigo), endometritis.
• Horses are affected by mastitis, botrymocosis of spermatic cord after castration.
• Staphylococcus aureus and non-Staphylococcus spp. also damage skin, udder, ear, and eye to spread to lung, urinary bladder, uterus, bones, and joints.
• Goats are affected by mastitis, dermatitis, and subacute or peracute mastitis.
• Sheep are affected by mastitis similar to cattle, tick pyemia of lambs, dermatitis of torn skin, and periorbital dermatitis.
• S. pseudintermedius is the most common cause of pyoderma in dogs and cats.
• Staphylococcus species cause cutaneous pus and peeling of skin layers in pets.
• Staphylococcus species cause cutaneous pus and peeling of skin layers in pigs.
• Staphylococcus aureus causes abscess, dermatitis, and mastitis before spreading to cause septicemia, endocarditis, meningitis, and osteoarthritis.
• Many species of Staphylococcus cause abscess, septicemia, surgical lesion infection, and other diseases.
• Dogs and cats are affected by suppurative lesion similar to Staphylococcus pseudintermedius.
• Staphylococcus species cause cutaneous pus, peeling of skin layers, and pus from ears in humans.
• Poultry are affected by septicemia, foot/joints pyogranulomatous lesion (“bumble-foot”), arthritis.
• Cattle are affected by mastitis, teat base pustules/impetigo (>80-90% cases), and gangrenous teat.