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Firm Adherence of Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis to Human Hair and Effect of Detergent Treatment
Author(s) -
Mase Kiyomi,
Hasegawa Tadao,
Horii Toshinobu,
Hatakeyama Kazuto,
Kawano Yasushi,
Yamashino Takafumi,
Ohta Michio
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
microbiology and immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.664
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1348-0421
pISSN - 0385-5600
DOI - 10.1111/j.1348-0421.2000.tb02546.x
Subject(s) - staphylococcus epidermidis , staphylococcus aureus , microbiology and biotechnology , bacteria , biology , contamination , micrococcaceae , staphylococcus , staphylococcal infections , human decontamination , medicine , pathology , ecology , genetics
Staphylococcus aureus and S. epidermidis are common pathogens in hospitals, and care should be taken not to disseminate these organisms among patients. We have focused on human hair as a source of bacterial contamination. We treated hair with culture solutions of S. aureus and S. epidermidis , and then performed scanning electron microscopy. Bacteria were detected on the surface of the cuticles of the hair, and the attached bacteria were not completely removed even by repeated washing with detergents. These results suggested that hair could be a source of bacterial contamination and indicated the importance of decontamination of hair.