The recent realization that coagulase-negative staphylococci are of medical importance led to a number of studies which attempt to characterize them more adequately. These studies have shown that the coagulase-negative staphylococci represent a “complex” of several species. Kloos and Schleifer, who are credited with the major effort to characterize the group, list (1975b) nine species: S. epidermidis, S. saprophyticus, S. capitis, S. cohnii, S. haemolyticus, S. hominis, S. simulans, S. wylosus, and S. warneri. Hajek (1976) added a new one, S. intermedius, isolated from animals; Kloos et al. (1976b) described S. sciuri, and Deviese et al. (1978) transferred Micrococcus hyicus to the genus Staphylococcus, for a total of 12 species. Kloos and Schleifer (1975b) introduced a simplified scheme in the form of a flow chart (Figure 1) for routine identification of nine of these staphylococci. In OCtober of 1980 I began a study of this group with the purpose of conducting biochemical tests on clinical isolates from Stockton, California and, hopefully, expanding and updating the system that was introduced by Kloos and Schleifer. My system, henceforth referred to as the L-K Scheme, utilizes biochemical tests already available in clinical laboratories. Its purpose was to determine if the isolates used in this study can be placed in homogeneous groups.

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