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Glite Dictionary
staphylococcus

staphylococcus

3 7.9
A kind of bacteria that lives on skin and can cause infections like boils
  • noun
  • /ˌstæfɪləˈkɑkəs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : estafilococo
  • Risk factors for food contamination by norovirus or Staphylococcus aureus should also be identified.
  • Staphylococcus aureus
  • Staphylococcus infections
  • methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus

Examples

  • An ear swab culture yielded Staphylococcus aureus, which was sensitive to lincomycin and vancomycin.

    Academic text (2006)

  • Among the FBD pathogens identified, norovirus and Staphylococcus aureus caused 61.7% of outbreaks and 81.5% of cases.

    Academic text (2009)

  • The number of outbreaks from Staphylococcus aureus gradually increased during this period.

    Academic text (2009)

  • Acute bacterial endocarditis, on the other hand, is most commonly caused by Staphylococcus aureus.

    Academic text (2007)

  • Other variations of Staphylococcus have become resistant to the drug vancomycin, a broad-spectrum antibiotic.

    Academic text (2005)

  • A 71-year-old male patient was admitted with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus mediastinitis two months after coronary artery bypass grafting.

    Academic text (2007)

  • The doctor confirmed that my skin infection was caused by staphylococcus bacteria.

  • Many people are familiar with staphylococcus aureus as a common cause of boils.

  • Infections from staphylococcus can lead to serious conditions if not treated promptly.

Synonyms

staph
vsstaphylococcus
  • Informal
14 7.6

A type of bacteria that can cause skin or blood infections and can be hard to treat with antibiotics

is the formal scientific name rather than the casual short form
staphylococci
vsstaphylococcus
  • Specialized
1 9.5

Tiny round germs that form grape-like clusters and may cause skin infections

is the formal taxonomic name for that group of bacteria
genus Staphylococcus
vsstaphylococcus
  • Specialized
6.3

A group of round bacteria, many of which cause skin infections, pneumonia and food poisoning

is the shorter common label for that same taxonomic group

Compounds

genus Staphylococcus
  • Specialized
6.3

A group of round bacteria, many of which cause skin infections, pneumonia and food poisoning

Surface Forms

staphylococcus singular
staphylococci plural

Morphology

staphylococcus = staphylo- + coccus (opaque) = staphylo + coccus

The term is formed from specialized Greek combining forms used in scientific nomenclature and is not generally transparent to average B1 learners without biomedical knowledge.

Etymology

The word staphylococcus comes from Greek parts staphylo- meaning 'bunch of grapes' and -coccus meaning 'berry'. This name helps you remember that these bacteria are round like little berries and often grow in grape-like clusters, and that they can cause infections.