Is Staphylococcus lugdunensis Significant in Clinical Samples?

Abstract

The implication of coagulase-negative staphylococci in human diseases is a major issue, particularly in hospital settings wherein these species often act as opportunistic pathogens. In addition, some coagulase-negative staphylococci such as S. lugdunensis have emerged as pathogenic bacteria, implicated in severe infections, particularly, osteoarticular infections, foreign-body-associated infections, bacteremia, and endocarditis. In vitro studies have shown the presence of several putative virulence factors such as adhesion factors, biofilm production, and proteolytic factors that might explain clinical manifestations. Taken together, the clinical and microbiological data might change the way clinicians and microbiologists look at S. lugdunensis in clinical samples.

Keywords: Staphylococcus lugdunensis; biofilm; endocarditis; osteoarticular infections; protease; virulence.

FIG 1

Clinical and bacteriological roles of the main putative virulence factors identified in S. lugdunensis.

FIG 2

Clinical significance of microbiological samples with S. lugdunensis identification in blood cultures and osteoarticular samples. Major risk factors for potential infection caused by skin flora are: long-term intravascular catheterization, peritoneal dialysis, hemodialysis, or extensive postsurgical infections with CoNS. S. lugdunensis known niches are inguinal and axillary.