Incidence, adherence, and antibiotic resistance of coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species causing human disease

Fifty-two isolates of coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species recovered from the blood or intravenous catheters of patients with clinically significant disease were compared to 60 similar isolates from patients who were presumably colonized. All isolates were identified and evaluated for ability to adhere to smooth surfaces, and resistance to anti-staphylococcal penicillins. S. epidermidis, S. hominis, and S. haemolyticus were the most frequently occurring species, representing 65%, 15%, and 10%, respectively, of disease isolates and 57%, 25%, and 8% of colonizers. The seven other species recovered accounted for only 10% of the total in both groups. Differences in isolation rates of each species within the two groups were not significant and were reflective of their reported incidence in the normal flora. All species of coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (except S. capitis and S. cohnii, which were isolated in very small numbers) were capable of adhering to smooth surfaces. S. hominis disease isolates were all capable of adherence, and the difference between the disease isolates and colonizers was statistically significant (p less than 0.02). This was not true for any other species that was analyzed nor for all isolates considered as a whole. Resistance to anti-staphylococcal penicillins was documented for all coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species, and was more frequent in S. epidermidis disease isolates than colonizers (p less than 0.05). No correlation was found between resistance to antistaphylococcal penicillins and ability to adhere.