Definition of "staphylococcus" [staphylococcus]

• A spherical gram-positive parasitic bacterium of the genus Staphylococcus, usually occurring in grapelike clusters and causing boils, septicemia, and other infections. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "MRSA is a specific strain of staphylococcus, which is a normal bacteria that just about everyone has, and is passed through both direct and indirect contact, Stephens County Health Department R.N. Lisa Caton said."
• "Philip Tierno, a professor of microbiology and pathology at the New York University School of Medicine and author of the book, ‘The Secret Life of Germs’, said bacteria from the skin, such as staphylococcus, could be found on clothing and towels."
• "Kidney specialist David Johnson said honey also had an advantage over the commonly used antibiotic ointment, mupirocin, in that hospital “superbugs” such as staphylococcus aureus, commonly known as Golden Staph, had not developed resistance to it."