HSS 1100 Lecture 4: Lecture 4

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Health Sciences
• Course: HSS 1100
• Professor: William Yan

Document Summary

Staphylococcus aureus: staphule means grape in greek, one of most successful human pathogens due to its virulence factors, toxins. Cytotoxins (act on human cells to cause damage) Haemolysins (lyses red blood cells for their iron) Enterotoxin a-e, g-i (not common, but very powerful) Toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 (use to be exotoxin c and enterotoxin f: enzymes. Used to differentiate from s. epidermidis, s capitis, s saprophyticus. Lactamase (one of the three ways that bacteria acquire resistance: other species of staphylococcus tend to be opportunistic pathogens, many s. aureus strains are found in normal population, carried in anterior nares, axilla, hands, perineum, problem. 85-90% of strains isolated in hospitals are penicillin resistant. Mrsa is methocilin resistant strain localized purulent infections (pustules, boils, styes, conjunctivitis, otitis, Staphylococcus epidermidis: part of normal skin/mucus membrane flora, non-pathogenic except in compromised patients where it can cause post- operative infections (brain, open heart, endocarditis, shunt infections, considered an opportunistic pathogen.