Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) are differentiated from the closely related but more
virulent Staphylococcus aureus by their inability to produce free coagulase. Currently, there
are over 40 recognized species of CNS. These organisms typically reside on healthy human
skin and mucus membranes, rarely cause disease, and are most frequently encountered by
clinicians as contaminants of microbiological cultures. However, CNS have been
increasingly recognized to cause clinically significant infections. The conversion of the CNS …