Overview. Staphylococcus aureus, often referred to as staph, is a very common bacteria. Approximately 25-30% of healthy people carry this organism on their skin or in their nose. Sometimes, staph causes an infection.Staph bacteria are the most common causes of skin infections in the United States.verview. Staphylococcus aureus, often referred to as staph, is a very common bacteria. Approximately 25-30% of healthy people carry this organism on their skin or in their nose. Sometimes, staph causes an infection.
Bacteria can often be killed by antibiotics because the cell wall on the outside is destroyed, expelling the DNA out of the body of the pathogen, therefore making the pathogen incapable of producing proteins and dies. Bacteria typically range between 1 and 5 micrometers in length.
The antibiotic penicillin works by keeping a bacterium from building a cell wall. Bacteria and human cells also differ in the structure of their cell membranes and the machinery they use to build proteins or copy DNA. Some antibiotics dissolve the membrane of just bacterial cells.eta-Lactam. Beta-lactam antibiotics kill bacteria that are surrounded by a cell wall. Bacteria build cell walls by linking molecules togetherâbeta-lactams block this process. Without support from a cell wall, pressure inside the cell becomes too much and the membrane bursts.