Staphylococcus simulans: An emerging cutaneous pathogen

Fig 1. Clinical picture of S simulans infection. Violaceous erythema of the dorsal right great toe with an overlying mildly fluctuant nodule and central superficial erosion. INTRODUCTION Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS), once an umbrella term for normal skin microbiota, are increasingly implicated in hospital-acquired infections. Quick, easy, and accurate speciation of CoNS via matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization timeof-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) was recently validated. Integrating this technology into hospital laboratories has allowed multiple members of the genus to surface as potential human pathogens. We report a case of Staphylococcus simulans causing a skin and soft tissue infection to alert dermatologists to this emerging CoNS pathogen.