The skin commensal Staphylococcus epidermidis has become one of the most important
causative agents of nosocomial infections associated with medical devices. Differentiation
between invasive S. epidermidis and its commensal counterpart is crucial for clinical
decision making. The ica gene locus, which codes for production of polysaccharide
intercellular adhesion (PIA), represents a frequently suggested molecular marker for
infectivity. Our data demonstrated that production of PIA was not significantly increased …