Staphylococcus Aureus
...nclude but are not limited to, meningitis, phneomonia, septicimia, toxic shock syndrome, and food poisoning. First the staphylococcal seeks out a portal of entry, usually a small break in the skin or even a hair follicle will do. Often time’s S.aureus will also seek out surgical cuts, and traumatized tissue to colonize. Once it has entered the host’s body it attacks its host using a variety of proteins. As it invades the host it injects its surface proteins breaking down the tissue with membrane damaging toxins. These surface proteins promote colonization of the host’s tissue, bacterial spread in tissue, produce membrane-damaging toxins, and have an inharent resistance to antibiotics. Defensive behavior Phagocytosis is the fighting force for humans against the staphylococcal infection; however the cell wall contains protein A, this interferes with phagocytes effort. If the S.aureus are engulfed it may still be difficult to destroy because they produce biochemical properties (carotenoids and catalase) which counteract that process. S.aureus is an incredible evolver; it evolves to overcome the antibiotics introduced into the host to kill it. When penicillin was first introduced to S.aureus it handled the bacteria quite well, but by 1947 S.aureus was completely resistant to it. Methicillin was introduced in 1960 and by 1975 staph had evolved to the point where it was resistant to methicillin also. Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus MRSA is a potentially life-threatening strain. Now we fight MRSA with vancomycin. However, in 1996, there were reports of strains of S. aureus with decreased susceptibility to vancomycin. The staphylococcus aureus have the potential to evolve at a rate 750,000 times greater than our own it seems as if it is an up hill battle, which cannot be won. It also has the ability to resist incredible extremes in temperature, which helps it survive even in situations that would kill other bacteria. Ingestion and Digestion The staphylococcus aureus are single cell organisms with the only ingestion or digestion being cell respiration. This can be complete aerobic or incomplete anaerobic respiration, fermentation and lactic acid being the result. Method of reproduction The method of reproduction is normal cell division the S. aureus bunch in clusters similar to a bunch of grapes because they divide on two planes Association with humans S.aureus are considered to be normal flora of humans found in nasal passages, skin and mucous membranes; to a healthy individual these bacteria cause no problems. Staphylococci prey on those with a compromised immune. One of the major causes of staphylococcus aureu...