Gayam, Glydenne Glaire Gayam

BS Medical Technology 3A

MT 34/340 Bacteriology

Staphylococcus epidermidis
Cultural Characteristics
Small, white or yellow (usually non-pigmented gray or grayish white), approximately
2.5-4 mm in diameter, S-type colonies. Growth in broth is first turbid, later becoming
clear with a fine or slightly mucoid deposit. Faculatatively anaerobic, optimal
temperature 26-37C (growth range 15-45C). Grow
on media: Trypticase Soy Agar + 5% Sheep Blood,
Chapman (selective medium with 75 g/L NaCl and
mannitol), Mueller-Hinton agar.
In 5% Sheep Blood Agar, it appears small to
medium; opaque, gray-white colonies; most colonies
non-hemolytic; slime-producing strains are extremely
sticky and adhere to agar surface.

Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS)

growing on sheep blood agar, revealing
nonhemolytic, white creamy colonies.

Biochemical Characteristics
Positive results for nitrate reduction, alkaline
phosphatase, arginine dihydrolase, urease, acetoin
production, catalase, acid production from: mannose
and sucrose.
Negative results for starch hydrolysis, oxidase, growth
og (NH4)2SO4, coagulase-rabbit plasma, clumping
factor, ornithine decarboxylase, deoxyribonuclease
agar, heat-stable nuclease, beta-glucuronidase, betagalactosidase, acid production from: erythritol,
erythrose, gentiobiose, inositol, lyxose, sorbose,
tagatose, trehalose, mannitol, xylitol, raffinose, arabinose, cellobiose, fucose and
salicin.
Variable results for hyaluronidase, beta-glucosidase, acid production from: lactose,
galactose, melezitose, turanose and ribose.
For biochemical test coagulase, there is no clotting which means its negative for
coagulase.
Willey, J.M. et.al (2008). Prescott, Harley, and Kleins Microbiology (7th edition). McGraw-Hill.
Mahon, C.R. et. al (2015). Textbook of Diagnostic Microbiology (5th edition). Saunders Elsevier.
Staphylococcus epidermidis. http://www.tgw1916.net/Staphylococcus/epidermidis.html