Staphylococci in Human Disease
Chapter One
The Biology of Staphylococci
Greg A. Somerville and Richard A. Proctor
Historical perspective of the isolation
and characterization of the
staphylococci
The staphylococci make up the family of Gram-positive
cocci, Staphylococcaceae, which is in the order Bacillales.
The term "staphylococcus" was synthesized from the Greek
word staphyle, meaning bunch of grapes, for their ability
to form microscopic grape-like clusters, and the term
"coccus," meaning grain or berry. Staphylococcus aureus
was one of the first bacterial pathogens identified, and
causes a very broad range of infections including impetigo,
folliculitis, superficial and deep skin abscesses, wound
infections, osteomyelitis, suppurative arthritis, pneumonia,
pleural emphysema, meningitis, septicemia and endocarditis,
toxic shock syndrome, scalded skin syndrome, and
food poisoning.
Koch first differentiated Gram-positive cocci in 1878
and recognized that different diseases such as abscesses
correlated ... read full excerpt from Staphylococci in Human Disease ebook
