Coagulase-negative staphylococci and micrococci in urinary tract infections.

Abstract

SYNPOSIS One hundred catalase-positive, coagulase-negative, Gram-positive cocci isolated in significant numbers from the urine of patients with urinary tract infections, provisionally subdivided by their sensitivity to novobiocin, were classified according to a slightly modified version of BairdParker's schemes (1965 and 1972). It appeared that strains of Micrococcus were nearly all of subgroup 3, and that these were important pathogens of young women presenting with urinary infections in general practice. All such strains were resistant to novobiocin. Strains of Staphylococcus were heterogeneous, and were found principally in infections arising in hospital, among older people. Most staphylococci were sensitive to novobiocin.It is suggested that it is easy and-sufficiently accurate to separate staphylococci and micrococci isolated from cases of urinary tract infection on the basis of their sensitivity or resistance to novobiocin. The distinction is useful because of its therapeutic and epidemiological significance.

Staphylococci as urinary pathogens.

“…It has been suggested that sensitivity to novobiocin in vitro might be used as a single laboratory test for discriminating between M3 and other biotypes of the Micrococcaceae (Mitchell, 1968;Meers et al, 1975). We found that all strains of micrococci isolated except two of the four strains of M2 and the 11 strains of M7 were resistant to novobiocin, and thaL all strains of staphylococci, with the exception of one strain of Staph.…”

“…Since Mitchell (1968) reported that staphylococcal infections attributable to abnormalities or instrumentation of the urinary tract were caused predominantly by staphylococcus subgroups II, V, and VI, as defined by Baird-Parker (1963), and infections occurring in otherwise healthy young women by micrococcus subgroup 3 supporting evidence has been accumulating slowly (Mabeck, 1969;Kerr, 1973;Maskell, 1974;Meers, 1974;Meers et al, 1975;Sellin et al, 1975). Mitchell (1968) suggested that micrococcus 3 could be provisionally identified by its resistance to novobiocin in vitro.…”

Occurrence and expression of imipemide (N-formimidoyl thienamycin) resistance in clinical isolates of coagulase-negative staphylococci

“…IA The plasmid profiles of these Imis derivatives appeared to be identical to those of the parent strains, and some of the derivatives may have resulted from the mutagenic action of ethidium bromide and acridine orange. The coagulase-negative staphylococci have considerable clinical significance in their own right (16,22,26,43). Their importance may also extend to acting as a conduit for genes between VOL.…”

Antimicrobial susceptibility of Staphylococcus saprophyticus and urethral staphylococci

“…However, there are still very few data on the antimicrobial susceptibility of this microorganism (4,5,8,9). We determined the susceptibility of S. saprophyticus to eight antimicrobial agents, and we also determined the activity of five of these agents against isolates of coagulasenegative staphylococci recovered from the urethras of healthy females.…”