 Family – Staphylococcaceae  Gram Positive  Non-motile  Cocci (round appearance under microscope)  Usually found in grape-like clusters  Catalase positive

 Primarily coagulase positive › Some strains may be atypical in that they do not produce coagulase  Glistening, opaque, yellow to white appearance on blood agar  Patterns of B or A hemolysis may be visible  Fairly large colonies  Rancid odor to colonies

 Further identification is available using commercial test kits  Can be identified by phage typing or by 16S ribosomal DNA typing  Reproduce asexually

 It is dangerous in animals not only for potential effect on the animals health, but the ease for which infections and diseases can be transmitted to humans!  Humans can also infect animals  All mammals are vulnerable to infection

 Aerosol  Direct contant › Fomites › Infected animals › Infected people  In a laboratory rodent setting, it is more likely for humans to infect animals!

 In healthy, immunocompentent animals S. aureus colonization of the skin, intestinal tract, or nasopharyx is generally asymptomatic  May be colonized from an abscess/lesion, but is usually a secondary infection  S. aureus is a classic opportunist, taking advantage of broken skin or other entry sites to cause an infection!

 Dogs › Pyaemia dermatitis (condtion of abscesses and contamination of the blood)  Horses › Botryomycosis (Bacterial infection of the skin or organs)  Poultry › Septicaemia and arthritis  Cases have also been reported in cats, pigs, beef cattle and numerous other animals

 Dairy cattle › S. aureus is considered highly dangerous and a major cause of mastitis › Hard to treat › An estimated half of S. Aureus strains have the ability to be resistant to antibiotics!  Humans › Can destroy tissue › S. aureus gastroenteritis (self-limiting with the person recovering in 8–24 hours)  Symptoms = nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain

 Generally skin infections are the most common diseased produced › Localized collection of pus (abscess, boil) › Cellulitis (infection of tissue leading to swelling) › Crusting of skin › If infection spreads to the blood; fever, chills, and low blood pressure are present  Can cause severe infections!

 By changing its chemical makeup slightly to evade attack, S. aureus has become resitant to many commonly used antibiotics › In 1997, physicians were alarmed to encounter staph strains that resist even vancomycin, which used to work when all else failed!  The infection is most dangerous when it’s related to a surgical wound, and otherwise healthy animals can easily lose a limb or worse

 World wide problem and is responsible for increasing number of deaths due to its ability to resist most forms of antibiotic treatment!  It is very serious and immediate medical attention is needed when S. aureus is found in any laboratory, food source or companion animal!  Each year some 500,000 patients in American hospitals contract a staphylococcal infection!

 Although S. aureus is hard to treat in patients, most chemical cleaners found in a veterinary or human hospital can kill it on surfaces and/or fomites  Infections can be prevented with proper sanitary techniques, such as wearing gloves.

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