Staphylococcus epidermidis in Biomaterial-Associated Infections

T.F. Moriarty et al. (eds.), Biomaterials Associated Infection: Immunological Aspects and Antimicrobial Strategies, DOI 10.1007/978-1-4614-1031-7_2, © Springer Science+Business Media New York 2013 Abstract Coagulase-negative staphylococci, mainly Staphylococcus epidermidis , are currently the most frequent cause of hospital acquired infections in the USA. Mostly, but not exclusively, S. epidermidis infections are linked to the use of implanted medical devices like central venous catheters, prosthetic joints and heart valves, pacemakers, cardiac assist devices, cerebrospinal fl uid shunts, and intraocular lenses. As new molecular techniques reveal that S. epidermidis are by no means the most prominent bacteria of the skin and mucous membrane fl ora, the implication is that S. epidermidis has speci fi c virulence factors, which transforms this commensal bacterial species into one of the most successful pathogens in modern medicine. A vast array of speci fi c attachment factors for native and host proteinmodi fi ed device surfaces and the ability to accumulate in adherent multilayered bio fi lms appear to be vital for the success of S. epidermidis as a pathogen. Bio fi lm formation contributes to the ability of the organism to withstand the host’s innate and acquired immune defense mechanisms and to resist antimicrobial therapy, so that device removal is a regular feature for the treatment of S. epidermidis biomaterialassociated infection. Recent developments in the understanding of S. epidermidis virulence are reviewed in this chapter. Chapter 2 Staphylococcus epidermidis in Biomaterial-Associated Infections