Staphylococcus lugdunensisand Coagulase-Negative Staphylococci species characterisation in a tropical climate

Coagulase negative staphylococci (CoNS) are a heterogeneous group of colonising organisms that have historically been differentiated from Staphyloccocus aureus but are now known to cause invasive disease. We characterised the CoNS species from a single tropical centre to compare with previous studies. 1262 isolates were collected with 203 from blood stream samples over an 18 month period. S. lugdunensis was the second most isolated CoNS comprising 15.9% of isolates, much greater than comparative studies. A single blood stream infection with S. lugdunensis was identified over this time period, comprising a much lower ratio of blood to swab isolates than in previous studies.