Microbes Made Easy
Morphology:
Staphylococcus - therefore they are cocci (spherical cocci)
Gram nature: Gram positive
Sporing: No
Motile: No
Pigment: Golden yellow, only in aerobic conditions.
Culture medias and growth:
Nutrient agar - Golden yellow colonies
MacConkeys agar - If bile tolerant then they will produce small pink colonies
Staphylococcus Biochemical characteristics:
Sugars: ferment many sugars, variable with strains
Coagulase: Positive
Catalase: Positive
Hemolysis: Yes, Beta hemolysis
Liquefies gelatin: Yes
Phosphatase activity: Yes
Tellurite reduction: Yes
Methyl Red test: Positive
Voges–Proskauer test: Positive
Toxins of Staphylococcus
Toxic shock syndrome toxin (TSST) - Its a superantigen which activates T-Cells.
Cytolytic toxins: Alpha, Beta and Gamma hemolysin; Leucocidin
Enterotoxin - causes Staphylococcal food poisoning.
Exfoliative toxin - causes 'Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome'
