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Staphylococcus haemolyticusRANK: SpeciesTAXONOMY: Terrabacteria group -> Firmicutes -> Bacilli -> Bacillales -> Staphylococcaceae -> Staphylococcus -> Staphylococcus haemolyticus OVERVIEW: Staphylococcus haemolyticus is a member of the coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS). It is part of the skin flora of humans, and its largest populations are usually found at the axillae, perineum, and inguinal areas. S. haemolyticus also colonizes primates and domestic animals. It is a well-known opportunistic pathogen, and is the second most frequently isolated CoNS (S. epidermidis is the first). Infections can be localized or systemic, and are often associated with the insertion of medical devices. The highly antibiotic resistant phenotype and ability to form biofilms make S. haemolyticus a difficult pathogen to treat. S. haemolyticus is non-motile, non-sporulating, facultatively anaerobic, and Gram-stain positive. Cells are typically coccus-shaped and range from 0.8-1.3 μm in diameter. It lives on a wide variety of substrates, including (but not limited to): glucose, glycerol, maltose, sucrose, and trehalose. It also tests positive for acetoin production, arginine, dihydrolase, benzidine, catalase, hemolysis, and lipase; it tests negative for coagulase, DNase, ornithine decarboxylase, phosphatase, urease, and oxidase. This species has been identified as a resident in the human gastrointestinal tract based on the phylogenetic framework of its small subunit ribosomal RNA gene sequences.[PMC 4262072] |