Staphylococcus epidermidis is a common inhabitant of the skin and mucosa. In other words, the presence of this organism in a urine culture may represent contamination of the sample rather than a true infection. In fact, S.epidermidis is one of the most common contaminants in a microbiology lab.
It is unusual to have a urinary tract infection from staphylococcus epidermidis unless
- the patient immune system is suppressed or
- the urinary tract has a foreign body - e.g urine catheter/stent or kidney stones.
The decision on whether Staphylococcus epidermidis from a urine culture is due to contamination or true contamination depends on the clinical situation. If the patient does not have symptoms consistent with a urinary tract infection, then it is likely the positive culture is from contamination, and NO treatment is required.
If the clinical situation is consistent with infection, and the doctor is confident that the positive culture correlates, then treatment will be based on the antibiotic sensitivities on the culture report. The doctor should also look for an underlying cause of the infection, especially in young men in whom urinary tract infections in the absence of an abnormality of the urinary tract or immunity are unusual.
