Microorganisms Tested & Successfully Treated
ACINETOBACTER BAUMANNII ATCC 19606
Description: Acinetobacter baumannii and other members of this genus are typically found in soil and water, and can survive on human skin and on medical equipment. They can cause pneumonia, urinary tract infections and serious blood or wound infections.
Notes: A. baumannii has been noted for its apparent ability to survive on artificial surfaces for an extended period of time, therefore allowing it to persist in the hospital environment. Infection found US troops in Middle East causing Pneumonia, Bloodstreem infections, Meningitis, surgical infections, urinary tract infections.
Threats According to CDC and NIH: Potential Multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter.
ASPERGILLUS NIGER ATCC 16404, ATCC 1015 (BLACK MOLD)
Notes: Aspergillus niger isn’t as notoriously dangerous as Aspergillus fumigatus, which is the most prevalent airborne fungal pathogen. However, Aspergillus niger contains toxins that can make people with weak immune systems become very sick and can sometimes result in death. These toxins can be inhaled by humans, most commonly people who work around plants or peat, and can cause a lung disease called Aspergillosis.
Threats According to CDC and NIH: Aspergillus niger (Black Mold)
BACILLUS SUBTILIS ATCC 6051
Description: Bacillus Subtilis, known also as the hay bacillus or grass bacillus, is a Gram-positive, catalase-positive bacterium, found in soil and the gastrointestinal tract of ruminants and humans.
Notes: B.subtilis is used as a model organism for studying the formation of endospores in bacteria and evaluating the effectiveness of sporicides and sterilants. Endospores of B. subtilis can withstand harsh environmental conditions, such as high temperatures and UV exposure. B.subtilis is non-pathogenic, yet can contaminate food and is considered an opportunistic pathogen in those who are immuno-compromised. B.subtilis are used on seeds, vegetables, and plants as a fungicide because of their ability to produce antibiotics. B.subtilis is capable of secreting polymyxin, difficidin, subtilin, and mycobacillin. The antibiotics are released during sporulation to raise the microorganism’s chance of survival and to eliminate competing microbes.
BACTEROIDES FRAGILIS ATCC 25285
Description: Bacteroides fragilis is an obligately anaerobic, Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium.
Notes: It is part of the normal microbiota of the human colonand is generally commensal,[but can cause infection if displaced into the bloodstream or surrounding tissue following surgery, disease, or trauma.
BURKHOLDERIA CEPACIA ATCC 25416
Description: Burkholderia cepacia, is a group of catalase-producing, lactose-nonfermenting, Gram-negative bacteria composed of at least 20 different species, including B. cepacia, B. multivorans, B. cenocepacia, B. vietnamiensis, B. stabilis, B. ambifaria, B. dolosa, B. anthina, B. pyrrocinia and B. ubonensis.
Notes: Person-to-person spread has been documented; as a result, many hospitals, clinics, and camps have enacted strict isolation precautions for those infected with BCC. Infected individuals are often treated in a separate area from uninfected patients to limit spread, since BCC infection can lead to a rapid decline in lung function and result in death.
CANDIDA ALBICANS ATCC 10231
Description: Candida albicans is an opportunistic pathogenic yeast that is a common member of the human gut flora.
Notes: Candida is a fungus, not a bacterium. The CDC included it on its list because strains of the fungus are increasingly showing resistance to the drugs commonly used to treat it. Candida is present in many people without doing harm, but it can cause serious infections in patients with weakened immune systems or if introduced into the bloodstream.
Threats According to CDC and NIH: Fluconazole-resistant Candida
CARBAPENEM-RESISTANT ENTEROBACTERIACEAE (CRA; KLEBSIELLA PNEUMONIA ATCC BAA-1705)
Description: Klebsiella is a type of Gram-negative bacteria that can cause different types of healthcare-associated infections, including pneumonia, bloodstream infections, wound or surgical site infections, and meningitis
Notes: CRE, which stands for carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, are a family of germs that are difficult to treat because they have high levels of resistance to antibiotics. Klebsiella species and Escherichia coli (E. coli) are examples of Enterobacteriaceae, a normal part of the human gut bacteria, that can become carbapenem-resistant. Types of CRE are sometimes known as KPC (Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase) and NDM (New Delhi Metallo-beta-lactamase). KPC and NDM are enzymes that break down carbapenems and make them ineffective. Both of these enzymes, as well as the enzyme VIM (Verona Integron-Mediated Metallo-β-lactamase) have also been reported in Pseudomonas.
Threats According to CDC and NIH: Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE)
CLOSTRIDIUM DIFFICILE ENDOSPORES ATCC 43598
Description: Clostridium difficile is a Gram-positive, spore-forming obligate anaerobe and a major nosocomial pathogen of world-wide concern.
Notes: Antibiotic treatment of C. diff infections may be difficult, due both to antibiotic resistance and physiological factors of the bacterium (spore formation, protective effects of the pseudomembrane). Prolonged use of antibiotics can allow this common intestinal inhabitant to explode into a lethal infection as the drugs kill off its beneficial rivals in the human gut. Spread via hospital surfaces and human contact, C. difficile most often affects the elderly. It causes severe diarrhea and can damage the colon, and it has become very difficult to treat.
Threats According to CDC and NIH: Clostridium difficile
ENTEROBACTER AEROGENES ATCC 13048
Description: Enterobacter aerogenes, also known as Klebsiella aerogenes, is a Gram-negative, oxidase negative, catalase positive, citrate positive, indole negative, rod-shaped bacterium. The bacterium is approximately 1-3 microns in length, and is capable of motility via peritrichous flagella.
Notes: Enterobacter aerognes (a.ka. K. aerogenes) is a nosocomial and pathogenic bacterium that causes opportunistic infections including most types of infections. The majority are sensitive to most antibiotics designed for this bacteria class, but this is complicated by their inducible resistance mechanisms, particularly lactamase, which means that they quickly become resistant to standard antibiotics during treatment, requiring a change in antibiotic to avoid worsening of the sepsis.
Threats According to CDC and NIH: Enterobacter aerognes a.k.a. Klebsiella aerogenes
ENTEROVIRUS 71 (HAND, FOOT & MOUTH DISEASE VIRUS) ATCC-1775
Description: Enterovirus 71 (EV71) is a virus of the genus Enterovirus in the Picornaviridae family notable for its role in causing epidics of severe neurological disease and hand, foot, and mouth disease in children.
Notes: Enterovirus 71 infrequently causes polio-like syndrome permanent paralysis.
Threats According to CDC and NIH: Enterovirus 71 (Hand, Foot & Mouth Disease Virus)
ESCHERICHIA COLI ATCC 8099, ATCC 10536, ATCC 11229, ATCC 8739, K12 NCTC 10538
Description: Escherichia coli, also known as E. coli is a Gram-negative, facultative anaerobic, rod-shaped, coliform bacterium of the genus Escherichia that is commonly found in the lower intestine of warm-blooded organisms (endotherms).
Notes: Certain strains of E. coli are part of a classification of bacterial called Extended spectrum β-lactamase producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBLs). These bacteria, including strains of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, produce an enzyme that destroys many antibiotics. They most often manifest as urinary tract infections, but can also cause serious bloodstream and lung infections. They are spread through improperly washed hands, surfaces and medical equipment. Some of the ESBL E. coli strains are also foodborne.
Threats According to CDC and NIH: Potential Extended spectrum β-lactamase producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBLs)
EUPENICILLIUM LEVITUM ATCC 10464
Description: Eupenicillium levitum (Penicillium levitum) is an anamorph species of the genus of Penicillium. Clasification: Fungi, Dikarya, Ascomycota, Pezizomycotina, Eurotiomycetes, Eurotiomycetidae, Eurotiales, Aspergillaceae, Penicillium.
ENTEROBACTER GERGOVIAE ATCC 33028
Description: Enterobacter gergoviae is a Gram-negative, facultatively anaerobic, rod-shaped, non-spore-forming bacteria of the family Enterobacteriaceae.
Notes: Enterobacter gergoviae is rarely isolated in clinical laboratories and it is generally susceptible to antibiotics however, some cosmetic laboratories were concerned about the contamination of their different cosmetic formulations, containing a combination of parabens as preservatives, by E. gergoviae.
ENTEROCOCCUS FAECALIS ATCC 29212
Description: Enterococcus faecalis, formerly classified as part of the group D Streptococcus system, is a Gram-positive commensal bacterium inhabiting the gastrointestinal tracts of humans and other mammals.
Notes: Enterococcus faecalis is found in healthy humans, but can cause life-threatening infections, especially in the nosocomial (hospital) environment, where the naturally high levels of antibiotic resistance found in E. faecalis contribute to its pathogenicity. E. faecalis has been frequently found in reinfected, root canal-treated teeth in prevalence values ranging from 30% to 90% of the cases[1]. Re-infected root canal-treated teeth are about nine times more likely to harbor E. faecalis than cases of primary infections.
ENTEROCOCCUS HIRAE ATCC 8043
Notes: Enterococci are key opportunistic pathogens and have become progressivley known as a significant cause of nosocomial and community-acquired infections; Enterococcus faecalis and E. faecium are the most commonly implicated species. E. hirae is known to cause infections in animals but is rarely remote of human clinical samples.
FELINE CALICIVIRUS, STRAIN: F-9
Description: Feline calicivirus (FCV) is a virus of the family Caliciviridae that causes disease in cats. It is one of the two important viral causes of respiratory infection in cats, the other being Felid alphaherpesvirus 1.
FELINE INFECTIOUS PERITONITIS VIRUS (FIPV)
Description: Feline coronavirus (FCoV) is a positive-stranded RNA virus that is infectious to cats worldwide. This virus is part of the Alphacoronavirus 1 species of the Alphacoronavirus genus belonging to the Coronaviridae family of viruses. Alphacoronavirus 1 also includes the canine coronavirus (CCoV) and the porcine transmissible gastroenteritis coronavirus (TGEV). It has two different forms; the FECV (feline enteric coronavirus) that infects the intestines and the FIPV (feline infectious peritonitis virus) that causes the disease feline infectious peritonitis (FIP).
HAEMOPHILUS INFLUENZAE ATCC 33930
Description: Haemophilus influenzae (formerly called Pfeiffer’s bacillus or Bacillus influenzae) is a Gram-negative, coccobacillary, facultatively anaerobic pathogenic bacterium belonging to the Pasteurellaceae family.
Notes: The bacterium was mistakenly considered to be the cause of influenza until 1933, when the viral cause of influenza became apparent, and is still colloquially known as bacterial influenza. H. influenzae is responsible for a wide range of localized and invasive infections.
HAND FLORA
Description: Bacteria recovered from the hands can be divided into two categories, namely resident or transient. The resident flora (resident microbiota) consists of microorganisms residing under the superficial cells of the stratum corneum and can also be found on the surface of the skin. Staphylococcus epidermidis is the dominant species, and oxacillin resistance is extraordinarily high, particularly among HCWs. Other resident bacteria include S. hominis and other coagulase-negative staphylococci, followed by coryneform bacteria (propionibacteria, corynebacteria, dermobacteria, and micrococci). Among fungi, the most common genus of the resident skin flora, when present, is Pityrosporum. Resident flora has two main protective functions: microbial antagonism and the competition for nutrients in the ecosystem. In general, resident flora is less likely to be associated with infections, but may cause infections in sterile body cavities, the eyes, or on non-intact skin.
Notes: Normal human skin is colonized by bacteria, with total aerobic bacterial counts ranging from more than 1 × 106 colony forming units (CFU)/cm2 on the scalp, 5 × 105 CFUs/cm2 in the axilla, and 4 × 104 CFU/cm2 on the abdomen to 1 × 104 CFU/cm2 on the forearm. 77 Total bacterial counts on the hands of HCWs have ranged from 3.9 × 104 to 4.6 × 106 CFU/cm2. 63, 78–80 Fingertip contamination ranged from 0 to 300 CFU when sampled by agar contact methods.72 Price and subsequent investigators documented that although the count of transient and resident flora varies considerably among individuals, it is often relatively constant for any given individual
SWINE INFLUENZA VIRUS (H1N1) A/SWINE/1976/31, ATCC VR-99, ATCC VR-1741
Description: Influenza A (H1N1) virus is the subtype of influenza A virus that was the most common cause of human influenza (flu) in 2009, and is associated with the 1918 outbreak known as the Spanish Flu. It is an orthomyxovirus that contains the glycoproteins haemagglutinin and neuraminidase. For this reason, they are described as H1N1, H1N2 etc. depending on the type of H or N antigens they express with metabolic synergy. Haemagglutinin causes red blood cells to clump together and binds the virus to the infected cell. Neuraminidase is a type of glycoside hydrolase enzyme which helps to move the virus particles through the infected cell and assist in budding from the host cells.
Notes: In June 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the new strain of swine-origin H1N1 as a pandemic. This strain is often called swine flu by the public media. This novel virus spread worldwide and had caused about 17,000 deaths by the start of 2010. On August 10, 2010, the World Health Organization declared the H1N1 influenza pandemic over, saying worldwide flu activity had returned to typical seasonal patterns.
Threats According to CDC and NIH: Influenza A virus subtype (H1N1) a.k.a. Swine influenza
KEBSIELLA OXYTOCA ATCC 13182
Description: Klebsiella oxytoca is a Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium that is closely related to K. pneumoniae, from which it is distinguished by being indole-positive; it also has slightly different growth characteristics in that it is able to grow on melezitose, but not 3-hydroxybutyrate.
Notes: While normally a pathogen associated with plants, outbreaks of antibiotic-resistant Klebsiella oxytoca have occurred in multiple hospitals and ICUs throughout the world, and handwashing stations have been identified as a potentially important environmental reservoir.
KLEBSIELLA PNEUMONIAE ATCC 4352
Description: Klebsiella pneumoniae is a Gram-negative, non-motile, encapsulated, lactose-fermenting, facultative anaerobic, rod-shaped bacterium. It appears as a mucoid lactose fermenter on MacConkey agar.
Notes: Although K. pneumoniae is found in the normal flora of the mouth, skin, and intestines, it can cause destructive changes to human and animal lungs if aspirated, specifically to the alveoli resulting in bloody sputum. In the clinical setting, it is the most significant member of the Klebsiella genus of the Enterobacteriaceae. Many K. pneumoniae infections are obtained when a person is in the hospital for some other reason (a nosocomial infection). Feces are the most significant source of patient infection, followed by contact with contaminated instruments. The most common condition caused by Klebsiella bacteria outside the hospital is pneumonia, typically in the form of bronchopneumonia and also bronchitis. These patients have an increased tendency to develop lung abscess, cavitation, empyema, and pleural adhesions. It has a death rate around 50%, even with antimicrobial therapy. Certain strains of K. pneumoniae are part of a classification of bacterial called Extended spectrum β-lactamase producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBLs). These bacteria, including strains of Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, produce an enzyme that destroys many antibiotics
Threats According to CDC and NIH: Potential Extended spectrum β-lactamase producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBLs)
METHICILLIN-RESISTANT STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS (MRSA; ATCC 33591, ATCC 33592)
Description: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) refers to a group of gram-positive bacteria that are genetically distinct from other strains of Staphylococcus aureus. MRSA is responsible for several difficult-to-treat infections in humans. MRSA is any strain of S. aureus that has developed, through horizontal gene transfer and natural selection, multiple drug resistance to beta-lactam antibiotics. β-lactam antibiotics are a broad spectrum group which includes some penams – penicillin derivatives such as methicillin and oxacillin, and cephems such as the cephalosporins. Strains unable to resist these antibiotics are classified as methicillin-susceptible S. aureus, or MSSA.
Notes: S. aureus is a once-routine infection that has become resistant to several powerful antibiotics. It most often occurs as a localized skin infection, but can become deadly if it enters the lungs or bloodstream, often through surgery or medical equipment. It is widely present in both healthcare settings and among the general population. MRSA is common in hospitals, prisons, and nursing homes, where people with open wounds, invasive devices such as catheters, and weakened immune systems are at greater risk of hospital-acquired infection. MRSA began as a hospital-acquired infection, but has become community-acquired as well as livestock-acquired. The terms HA-MRSA (healthcare-associated or hospital-acquired MRSA), CA-MRSA (community-associated MRSA) and LA-MRSA (livestock-associated) reflect this.
Threats According to CDC and NIH: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
MICROCOCCUS LUTEUS ATCC 7468
Description: Micrococcus luteus is a Gram-positive, to Gram-variable, nonmotile, coccus, tetrad-arranging, pigmented, saprotrophicbacterium that belongs to the family Micrococcaceae. It is urease and catalase positive. An obligate aerobe, M. luteusis found in soil, dust, water and air, and as part of the normal flora of the mammalian skin. The bacterium also colonizes the human mouth, mucosae, oropharynx and upper respiratory tract.
Notes: M. luteus has been shown to survive in oligotrophic environments (environments with low levels of nutrients) for extended periods of time. It is considered a contaminant in sick patients and is resistant by slowing of major metabolic processes and induction of unique genes. It is a high G + C (guanine and cytosine) ratio bacterium.
MURINE NOROVIRUS 1 (MNV-1)
Description: Murine norovirus (MNV) is a species of norovirus affecting mice. Like all noroviruses, MNV has a linear, non-segmented, positive-sense RNA genome of approximately 7.5 kbp, encoding a large polyprotein which is cleaved into six smaller non-structural proteins (NS1/2 to NS7) by the viral 3C-like protease (NS6), a major structural protein (VP1) of about 58~60 kDa and a minor capsid protein (VP2). In addition to these proteins, MNV is unique amongst the noroviruses in possessing an additional fourth open reading frame overlapping the VP1 coding sequence. This additional reading frame encodes a virulence factor (VF1) which regulates the innate immune response. The 3’UTR of the viral genome forms stem-loop structures which have a role in virulence.
Notes: Normal human skin is colonized by bacteria, with total aerobic bacterial counts ranging from more than 1 × 106 colony forming units (CFU)/cm2 on the scalp, 5 × 105 CFUs/cm2 in the axilla, and 4 × 104 CFU/cm2 on the abdomen to 1 × 104 CFU/cm2 on the forearm. 77 Total bacterial counts on the hands of HCWs have ranged from 3.9 × 104 to 4.6 × 106 CFU/cm2. 63, 78–80 Fingertip contamination ranged from 0 to 300 CFU when sampled by agar contact methods.72 Price and subsequent investigators documented that although the count of transient and resident flora varies considerably among individuals, it is often relatively constant for any given individual
PENICILLIUM LUTEUM ATCC 10466
Description: Penicillium luteum are a species of Penicillium that metabolizes luteic acid from glucose. Penicillium ascomycetous fungi are of major importance in the natural environment as well as food and drug production.
PROTEUS MIRABILIS ATCC 7002
Description: Proteus mirabilis is a Gram-negative, facultatively anaerobic, rod-shaped bacterium. It shows swarming motility and urease activity. Most Proteus infections in humans have been identified as the P. mirabilis species. It is widely distributed in soil and water.
Notes: This rod-shaped bacterium has the ability to produce high levels of urease, which hydrolyzes urea to ammonia (NH3), so makes the urine more alkaline. If left untreated, the increased alkalinity can lead to the formation of crystals of struvite, calcium carbonate, and/or apatite, which can result in kidney stones. The bacteria can be found throughout the stones, and these bacteria lurking in the kidney stones can reinitiate infection after antibiotic treatment. Once the stones develop, over time they may grow large enough to cause obstruction and renal failure. Proteus species can also cause wound infections, sepsis, and pneumonia, mostly in hospitalized patients.
PSEUDOMONAS AERUGINOSA ATCC 15442, ATCC 27853, ATCC 9027
Description: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a common Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium that can cause disease in plants and animals, including humans. A species of considerable medical importance, P. aeruginosa is a multidrug resistant pathogen recognized for its ubiquity, its intrinsically advanced antibiotic resistance mechanisms, and its association with serious illnesses – hospital-acquired infections such as ventilator-associated pneumonia and various sepsis syndromes.
Notes: Pseudomonas infection is caused by strains of bacteria found widely in the environment; the most common type causing infections in humans is called Pseudomonas aeruginosa.This pathogen thrives in moist environments and mostly affects hospital patients, especially those using mechanical ventilation or catheters or with surgical or burn wounds. The Gram-negative bacteria are exceptionally difficult to treat as they have developed resistance to multiple classes of drugs, in addition to their broad natural resistance.
Threats According to CDC and NIH:
Multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa
RHINOVIRUS ATCC VR-482 (COMMON COLD)
Description: The rhinovirus (from the Greek ῥίς rhis “nose”, gen ῥινός rhinos “of the nose”, and the Latin vīrus) is the most common viral infectious agent in humans and is the predominant cause of the common cold. Rhinovirus infection proliferates in temperatures of 33–35 °C (91–95 °F), the temperatures found in the nose. Rhinoviruses belong to the genus Enterovirus in the family Picornaviridae.
Notes: There are two modes of transmission: via aerosols of respiratory droplets and from fomites (contaminated surfaces), including direct person-to-person contact.
SALMONELLA ENTERICA ATCC 10708
Description: Salmonella enterica (formerly Salmonella choleraesuis) is a rod-shaped, flagellate, facultative aerobic, Gram negativebacterium and a species of the genus Salmonella. A number of its serovars are serious human pathogens.
Notes: Non-typhoidal Salmonella is a common foodborne pathogen that causes more dangerous infection when it is resistant to common antibiotics. It causes severe, sometimes bloody diarrhea, cramps and fever.
Threats According to CDC and NIH: Drug-resistant non-typhoidal Salmonella
SERRATIA MARCESCENS ATCC 14756
Description: Serratia marcescens (S. marcescens) is a species of rod-shaped, gram-negative bacillus that is also a facultative anaerobic organism, classified as an opportunistic pathogen in the family Yersiniaceae. Serratia Marcescens occurs naturally in water and soil and creates a red pigment at room temperature.
Notes: S. marcescens is is often involved in hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), especially catheter-associated bacteremia, urinary tract infections, and wound infections. It is responsible for 1.4% of HAI cases in the United States. Serratia marcescens is often found in the respiratory and urinary tracts of hospitalized adults and in the gastrointestinal systems of children. Transmission is through direct contact. Droplets of S. marcescens have been found growing on catheters, and in supposedly sterile solutions. Most strains are resistant to many antibiotics. Serratia Marcescens is the most common species of Serratia found in hospitals, and the only pathogenic species of Serratia, except for rare reports of diseases resulting from infection with Serratia plymuthica, Serratia liquefaciens, Serratia rubidaea, and Serratia odorifera.
STAPHYLACOCCUS AUREUS ATCC 6538, ATC 12600, ATCC 29213, ATCC 6538
Description: Staphylococcus aureus is a Gram-positive, round-shaped bacterium that is a member of the Firmicutes, and it is a usual member of the microbiota of the body, frequently found in the upper respiratory tract and on the skin.
Notes: Staphylococcus aureus (staph), is a type of germ that roughly 30% of people carry in their noses Much of the time, staph does not cause any harm, yet staph can cause infections. In healthcare settings, staph infections can be serious and even fatal. Any S. aureus has the potential to become MRSA.
STAPHYLOCOCCUS EPIDERMIDIS ATCC 12228
STAPHYLOCOCCUS SAPROPHYTICUS ATCC 35552
STAPHYLOCOCCUS HAEMOLYTICUS ATCC 29970
Description: Staphylococcus haemolyticus is a member of the coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS). It is part of the skin floraof humans, and its largest populations are usually found at the axillae, perineum, and inguinal areas.
Notes: S. haemolyticusalso colonizes primates and domestic animals. It is a well-known opportunistic pathogen, and is the second-most frequently isolated CoNS (S. epidermidis is the first). Infections can be localized or systemic, and are often associated with the insertion of medical devices. The highly antibiotic-resistant phenotype and ability to form biofilms make S. haemolyticus a difficult pathogen to treat. Optimal growth occurs between 30 and 40 °C in the presence of oxygen and 10% NaCl. However, some strains can grow at temperatures that range between 18 and 45 °C. Growth at 15 °C or 15% NaCl is poor or absent.
STAPHYLOCOCCUS HOMINIS ATCC 27844
Description: Staphylococcus hominis is a coagulase-negative member of the bacterial genus Staphylococcus, consisting of Gram-positive, spherical cells in clusters. It occurs very commonly as a harmless commensal on human and animal skin and is known for producing thioalcohol compounds that contribute to body odour. Like many other coagulase-negative staphylococci, S. hominis may occasionally cause infection in patients whose immune systems are compromised, for example by chemotherapy or predisposing illness.
Notes: Most strains of S. hominis colonize on the skin for relatively short periods of time compared to other Staphylococcus species. They, on average, stay on the skin for only several weeks or months. The cell wall contains low amounts of teichoic acid and glutamic acid. Multi drug resistant strains of s. hominis have been isolated from blood and wound cultures in humans.
STAPHYLOCOCCUS SAPROPHYTICUS ATCC 35552
STAPHYLOCOCCUS EPIDERMIDIS ATCC 12228
Description: Staphylococcus epidermidis is a Gram-positive nonmotile coccus that grows into grape-like clusters in aerobic and anaerobic conditions. S.epidermidis is a common member of the normal florae of skin and mucous membranes. Its large numbers and ubiquitous distribution make it one of the most commonly isolated organisms in the clinical laboratory setting. It is now one of the most important agents of hospital acquired infections (HAIs).
Notes: Immunosuppressed or neutropenic patients are particularly at risk to Staphylococcus epidermidis, as are individuals with catheters or prosthetic devices. S. epidermidis (strain ATCC 12228) is unable to form biofilms.
STREPTOCOCCUS PNEUMONIAE ATCC 6303
Description: Streptococcus pneumoniae, or pneumococcus, is a Gram-positive, alpha-hemolytic or beta-hemolytic, facultative anaerobic member of the genus Streptococcus. They are usually found in pairs and do not form spores and are nonmotile.
Notes: S. pneumoniae can cause pneumonia; ear, sinus and bloodstream infections; and meningitis. Some strains are resistant to multiple drugs, which can be especially dangerous to young children, the elderly and HIV patients. It is spread person-to-person, often in childcare and healthcare facilities.
Threats According to CDC and NIH: Drug-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae
STREPTOCOCCUS PYOGENES ATCC 19615
VANCOMYCIN-RESISTANT ENTEROCOCCUS FAECALIS (VRE; ATCC 515575)
Description: Enterococcus faecalis – formerly classified as part of the group D Streptococcus system – is a Gram-positive, commensal bacterium inhabiting the gastrointestinal tracts of humans and other mammals.
Notes: Enterococci normally live in human intestines and the female genital tract without issue, but they can lead to serious infection when they spread through urinary or intravenous catheters, or enter the bloodstream. Some strains have developed resistance to vancomycin, one of the most powerful antibiotics available.
Threats According to CDC and NIH: Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE)