DISTRIBUTION OF COAGULASE-NEGATIVE STAPHYLOCOCCI, INCLUDING THE NEWLY DESCRIBED SPECIES STAPHYLOCOCCUS-SCHLEIFERI, IN NOSOCOMIAL AND COMMUNITY-ACQUIRED URINARY-TRACT INFECTIONS

Four hundred and four coagulase-negative staphylococci were isolated from 4905 urine specimens obtained from 4192 inpatients and outpatients. The distribution of the strains was as follows: 193 Staphylococcus epidermidis (47.8%), 171 Staphylococcus saprophyticus (42.3%), 29 Staphylococcus haemtolyticus (7.2%), 5 Staphylococcus warneri (1.2%), 3 Staphylococcus schleiferi (0.7%), 2 Staphylococcus hominis (0.5%) and 1 Staphylococcus simulans (0.2%). All three Staphylococcus schleiferi strains were isolated from inpatients: a 64-year-old female, a 68-year-old male and a 3-month-old male with colony counts of 468,000 cfu/ml, 324,000 cfu/ml and 764,000 cfu/ml respectively. These findings show that among coagulase-negative staphylococci, Staphylococcus schleiferi, a newly described species of coagulase-negative staphylococci not previously reported as a uropathogen, may also cause hospital acquired urinary tract infection.