#staphylococcus

[microbes-in-hats]

Staphylococcus aureus

Staphylococcus aureus is a type of bacteria with many known strains that have become resistant to antibiotics. Methicillin resistance (MRSA), vancomycin intermediate resistance (VISA), and vancomycin resistance (VRSA) are some examples of strains that are partially or fully resistant to antibiotics, making them major concerns in hospitals. It's estimated that only 2% of S. aureus strains are sensitive to penicillin antibiotics.

[wikipediapictures]

Vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

“Staphylococcus aureus colonies on blood agar. Note the golden yellow pigment and beta hemolysis around it.” - via Wikimedia Commons

[miss-biophys]

18 hours difference of bacteria growth

How much can Staphylococcus aureus bacteria grow in less than a day? I add a few drops of bacteria into a fresh medium (basically a meat bouillon soup) and after 18 hours I count tens of billions bacteria per milliliter. Literally, today I had 8x10^10 bacteria/ml. They grow like crazy when given the chance.

For the next 24 hours, I let them bath in antibiotics. Hehe!

[melodymorningdew]

⚠️ CW gross skin things mentioned ⚠️

My doc said I have some kind of staph infection that's causing my itchiness (plus an allergy to my meds), but it really doesn't look as bad as staph. Idk what it is, but I hope the antibiotic cream helps. Like I feel like a staph infection would be much worse than several tiny bumps that are itchy. Anyone know what I'm talking about?

[er-cryptid]

S. aureus at 40x after Gram staining

[ratthewratterson]

Home Lab

Every once in a while I think about how I grew Staphylococcus bacteria in my bedroom and every one was fine with it. I did have special plates to ensure it wasn’t MRSA and like killed it with bleach after but like that certainly was a time period in my life

[nnennem]

My life in pictures! #alwaysstudying

Please say hello to all the bacteria in my mouth! 🦠 as you can see, I’ve got staphylococci, streptococci, some bacilli, and more. Man, that was embarrassing 😳 the Professor suggested that I get a new toothbrush! 🪥🥲

Also, who starts studying for a test on the day of the test? Stupid people like me!🙋🏾‍♀️ the test went pretty well actually. I got 85%, which isn’t that bad considering the fact that I started studying less than a day before the test.

[bpod-bpod]

Antibacterial Material

Disease-causing bacteria are formidable foes at the best of times but are particularly menacing in cases of medical device-associated infections. The surfaces of implanted devices, such as catheters and heart valves, can become coated in dense impenetrable bacterial biofilms – the microbial equivalent of nuclear bunkers – that surround and protect the bugs from both antibiotics and the patient’s immune system. With the aim of developing devices that can resist biofilm formation, researchers are taking inspiration from flying insects. The wings of dragonflies, cicadas and other insects are naturally antibacterial, having nanostructures that can pierce and slice bacterial cells preventing them from getting a foothold. Pictured above is a manmade wing-inspired material – silicon nanoneedles – shown rupturing a Stapholococcus aureus bacterium. Researchers are continuing to develop such materials to maximise lethality to bacteria, safety to patients and feasibility for use in implants.

Written by Ruth Williams

Image from RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, AU

Review by Denver P. Linklater and colleagues

Image copyright held by the photographer

Review published in Nature Reviews Microbiology, August 2020

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