Staphylococci (lat. Staphylococcus) are bacteria that belong to the cocci subgroup. They look roundish to grape-like and are immobile. They were first identified in 1884 by Friedrich Julius Rosenbach.
What are staphylococci?
Staphylococci are pathogens that are relatively insensitive to various disinfectants and to desiccation because of their increased pH tolerance. For this reason, they are widespread and very difficult to render harmless. They also develop resistance to antibiotics extremely quickly by adapting their genetic structure to the conditions of their environment, thus guaranteeing survival. Antibacterial agents often remain unsuccessful, so that high concentrations of staphylococci can often be detected in hospitals and care facilities, which also leads to illness in people with a weakened immune system. Some strains of this bacterial species have the property of being able to spread very rapidly, resulting in the occurrence of epidemic diseases.
Importance and function
Staphylococci normally colonize the skin and mucous membranes of humans and animals without causing an outbreak of disease or symptoms of disease. However, if the body is no longer able to maintain its immune defenses as a result of previous illnesses or other causes, diseases and infections can occur that are caused by the staphylococci. Thus, the main reservoir for staph infections is humans themselves. In particular, increased colonization with staphylococci has been observed in persons working in the health care sector, in persons with extensive infectious skin diseases, in diabetics and in persons from the drug scene. Thus, a person’s own colonization with staphylococci can develop into an infection if the pathogens spread to other areas of the body, such as the throat or mucous membranes. Foreign infections occur mostly through patient-to-patient contact or contact with nursing staff or attending physicians. The starting points of such foreign infections are mostly in wound secretions, respiratory tract secretions, infectious skin areas or even in the blood of infected persons. Medical equipment can also be used as a bacterial carrier. Patients suffering from diabetes mellitus or dependent on dialysis have proven particularly susceptible to staph infections. If the skin barrier against the penetration of germs is for some reason no longer complete, the affected persons are also particularly predisposed to infection by staphylococci. This is the case, for example, with skin injuries. The permanent presence of foreign bodies also leads to an increased risk of infection, such as when wearing venous catheters or metal alloys of joint replacements.
Diseases
Another manifestation of diseases caused by staphylococci is food poisoning. Especially in meat and dairy products, the formation of toxins by the degradation products of staphylococci is present and leads to corresponding symptoms of poisoning. In the case of poisoning, the incubation period until the appearance of the manifestations is relatively short and is only a few hours; in the case of infection by staphylococci, it can be 4-10 days. If a patient carries a colony of these germs, then there is a possibility that the disease will not manifest itself for months. This phenomenon occurs, for example, when staphylococci remain in the body after surgery and only become active again and spread in the organism due to other influences. In this way, severe general infections or wound infections can break out even after months or even years. Some examples of clinical pictures caused by staphylococci are boils, abscesses, carbuncles, wound infections, meningitis, jaundice and pneumonia. In severe cases, such infection may progress to generalized sepsis, which is life-threatening in any case. Toxic Shock Syndrome, or TTS, is also a consequence of poisoning caused by staphylococci. In TTS, there is a risk of taking a violent course. TTS is therefore an extremely dangerous disease.Food poisoning caused by staphylococci should also not be underestimated; the symptoms appear relatively promptly and manifest themselves in violent abdominal cramps, diarrhea and excessive vomiting. Because staphylococci are relatively heat resistant, they are often not completely killed when food is heat treated. When epidemic illnesses attributable to staphylococci are detected in a medical facility, they are reportable under the Federal Disease Control Act.