Staphylococcus lugdunensis, an aggressive coagulase-negative pathogen not to be underestimated

The new emerging coagulase-negative pathogen Staphylococcus lugdunensis is responsible for severe cardiac and joint infections. Since the biochemical phenotypic systems designed for the identification of CoNS do not appear to be species specific and are hardly reliable for the discrimination of S. lugdunensis from other staphylococci, its precise identification requires fine molecular methods. The pathogenic mechanisms by which S. lugdunensis causes severe infections are not yet completely elucidated and in this review its virulence and toxic determinants are surveyed as well as its adhesins and biofilm production.