Read condition-specific symptoms and clinical context for Staphylococcus epidermidis. The most common bacterium on human skin, and the most common source of medical-device infections.
S. epidermidis is, in Otto’s review, the species most frequently isolated from human epithelia: a routine colonizer of skin and mucous membranes that has apparently not evolved to cause disease but to maintain a generally benign relationship with its host. The same organism is the most common source of infections on indwelling medical devices, where its biofilms make treatment difficult, and it accounts for at least 22% of bloodstream infections in US intensive care unit patients. Its clinical importance comes from modern medicine and vulnerable hosts rather than from aggressive virulence.
One possible infection setting for this organism. These are general syndrome symptoms, not signs that identify the bacterium. Other infection sites can present differently.
Possible symptoms: Fever; Redness or soreness near the line.
Report possible line-related infection symptoms to the treating healthcare team.
Presence at a normal body site does not by itself establish disease.
No infection symptoms are assigned to ordinary carriage. Clinical assessment distinguishes colonization from infection.
This app cannot determine whether a person has an infection.
Source check: 2026-09-21. Educational content; independent scientific review remains pending.