Osmosis video - Staphylococcus epidermidis

Staphylococcus epidermidis is a round, gram-positive, catalase-positive, coagulase-negative, and urease-positive bacteria, which is normally part of the normal human flora, especially on the skin and mucosa. While S. epidermidis is generally harmless, it can cause opportunistic infections in people with weakened immune systems.

S. epidermidis is known to cause skin infections such as impetigo or cellulitis, but it's best known to contaminate and make biofilms on indwelling medical devices. From there, it can then get into the blood and cause severe infections, mostly in newborns. Treatment relies on antibiotics like Vancomycin and removing and replacing the infected medical device with a new, clean one.