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Glite Dictionary
Staph epi

Staph epi

7.4
A common skin bacterium that often causes infections in hospitals
  • noun
  • /stæf ˈɛpi/
  • Jargon
translation icon : Staph epi
  • The hospital lab identified Staph epi in the blood culture.

Examples

  • Doctors routinely monitor catheters for signs of Staph epi contamination.

  • Some antibiotics are less effective against Staph epi infections.

  • Doctors often test for Staph epi in patients with skin infections.

  • Have you heard about Staph epi causing hospital infections?

  • The hospital lab identified Staph epi in the blood culture.

  • Some antibiotics are less effective against Staph epi infections.

  • Doctors routinely monitor catheters for signs of Staph epi contamination.

Surface Forms

Staph epi singular
Staph epis plural

Morphology

staph + epi

The first element 'staph' clearly signals a staphylococcal bacterium and 'epi' functions as an abbreviation/prefix pointing toward 'epidermidis' or 'epidermis' (skin), so the compound partly cues a skin-related staph. However, 'epi' is not a common standalone word and the exact species name is specialist knowledge, so learners would only partially infer the precise clinical meaning.

Etymology

Staph epi is a short, informal name for the full scientific name Staphylococcus epidermidis. The part Staph comes from how the tiny bacteria group like a 'bunch of grapes' and epi points to 'skin', so the name helps you remember it is a common skin germ often found in hospitals.