Staphylococcus epidermidis—key to understanding biofilms, commensalism, and more

ABSTRACT Staphylococcus epidermidis, a ubiquitous inhabitant of human skin, has been known for decades for its capacity to form biofilm-associated infections on indwelling medical devices and has developed into a leading bacterium used in biofilm research. Early investigation on the biofilm matrix focused on S. epidermidis “slime,” and currently, S. epidermidis represents one of the most prevalent organisms for in-vivo biofilm infection models. More recently, S. epidermidis has also become a standard for the investigation of host-commensal interactions on human skin, especially the immune response to colonization that is often called “commensal immunity.” Finally, there are recent efforts to use S. epidermidis as a topically applied vehicle for probiotic pathogen exclusion efforts as well as anti-cancer and vaccination strategies.