staphylococcus

American  

[staf-uh-luh-kok-uhs] / ˌstæf ə ləˈkɒk əs /

noun

Bacteriology.

plural

staphylococci

1. any of several spherical bacteria of the genus Staphylococcus, occurring in pairs, tetrads, and irregular clusters, certain species of which, as S. aureus, can be pathogenic for humans.

---

staphylococcus British  

/ ˌstæfɪləʊˈkɒkəs, ˌstæfɪləʊˈkɒkɪk, ˌstæfɪləʊˈkɒkəl, -ˈkɒksɪk /

noun

1. Often shortened to: staph.  any spherical Gram-positive bacterium of the genus Staphylococcus , typically occurring in clusters and including many pathogenic species, causing boils, infection in wounds, and septicaemia: family Micrococcaceae

---

staphylococcus Scientific  

/ stăf′ə-lō-kŏk′əs /

plural

staphylococci

1. Any of various bacteria of the genus Staphylococcus that are gram-positive cocci and are normally found on the skin and mucous membranes of warm-blooded animals. Pathogenic strains such as S. aureus commonly cause infections of the skin, bones, lungs and other organs. Some staphylococcal disease, such as food poisoning, is caused by a toxin produced by the bacteria.

---

staphylococcus Cultural  

1. A category of bacteria that can cause boils, blood poisoning, and other serious infections.

---

Other Word Forms

• staphylococcal adjective
• staphylococcic adjective

Etymology

Origin of staphylococcus

From New Latin, dating back to 1885–90; staphylo-, coccus

Example Sentences

Weeks later, doctors discovered he had staph infection - which is caused by staphylococcus, a germ that lives in the nose of one in three people and can enter the body through a cut.

From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026

The lack of pain in leishmaniasis lesions has puzzled scientists for years, especially when similar blisters caused by conditions like chicken pox, staphylococcus infections or the herpes virus are itchy, oozy and sore.

From Science Daily • Nov. 30, 2023

The letter said records that the group obtained showed instances of pathogens, such as antibiotic-resistant staphylococcus and herpes B virus, that may have been transported without proper containment measures.

From Reuters • Feb. 9, 2023

Within a week, he was dead; the tiny injury to 16-year-old Calvin Coolidge Jr. had become infected with staphylococcus bacteria.

From Washington Post • Nov. 23, 2022

The immediate exciting cause is the entrance into the follicle of a microbe, the staphylococcus pyogenes aureus.

From Essentials of Diseases of the Skin Including the Syphilodermata Arranged in the Form of Questions and Answers Prepared Especially for Students of Medicine by Stelwagon, Henry Weightman