The adhesion of coagulase negative staphylococci to human skin and its relevance to the bacterial flora of milk.
Twenty-eight isolates of coagulase negative staphylococci were obtained from nipple swabs provided by one non-lactating woman and five nursing mothers. All but two of these isolates were shown by scanning electron microscopy to adhere to the surface of human skin. Experiments with frozen sections of human skin confirmed and extended these results by showing that isolates exhibited one of three patterns of adhesion, suggesting that there are three different adhesion receptors on epidermal cells. It is proposed that adhesion of staphylococci to the nipple and areolar epidermis provides a mechanism whereby large numbers of bacteria, nourished by residues of milk and saliva, are maintained on the surface of the skin.
D000268:Adhesiveness; D001940:Breast / Q000382:microbiology*; D004817:Epidermis / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007774:Lactation; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000382:microbiology; D009558:Nipples / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D011247:Pregnancy; D013212:Staphylococcus epidermidis / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure