Staphylococcus aureus

Translingual

Etymology

New Latin Staphylococcus, Latin aureus (“golden”), for the characteristic golden color imparted by its carotenoid pigment staphyloxanthin.

Pronunciation

Staphylococcus aureus, SEM

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): /sta.pʰy.loˈkok.kus ˈau̯.re.us/, [s̠t̪äpʰʏɫ̪ɔˈkɔkːʊs̠ ˈäu̯reʊs̠]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /sta.fi.loˈkok.kus ˈau̯.re.us/, [st̪äfiloˈkɔkːus ˈäːu̯reus]

Proper noun

Staphylococcus aureus m

1. A taxonomic species within the family Staphylococcaceae – a relatively common bacterium which is sometimes pathogenic. In humans it is a common cause of infections and food poisoning.

Synonyms

• golden staph

Derived terms

• MRSA, MSSA, ORSA, HA-MRSA, CA-MRSA, VRSA, VISA

Further reading

• Staphylococcus aureus on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Staphylococcus aureus on Wikispecies.Wikispecies
• Staphylococcus aureus on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons
• List of sequenced bacterial genomes on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Staphylococcus aureus at National Center for Biotechnology Information