[5] Within the Simulans-Carnosus group, comprising S. simulans, S. condimenti, S. carnosus, and S. piscifermentans, a total of four coagulase-negative species were identified, all particularly susceptible to novobiocin.

[6] Other characteristics that distinguish S. carnosus from the other staphylococcal species include its ability to thrive in a high salt environment, reduce nitrate, and make acetoin.

Initially, S. simulans strains were identified in dry sausage samples by plating them on a selective medium for Staphylococcus, as designed by Schleifer and Krämer, or alternatively on plate-count agar.

[1] The medium specific to staphylococci ensured that only members of the genus Staphylococcus would grow while the growth of undesired groups would be inhibited.

[1] Several tests were performed to determine carbohydrate and physiological reactions, peptidoglycan type, the chemical makeup of the teichoic acids in the cell wall, and cytochrome pattern.

Although the strains of S. simulans and S. carnosus share a close genetic relationship based on DNA homology, this similarity was deemed insufficient to categorize them as a single species.

Colonies of S. carnosus often exhibit a grayish-white coloration and a subtle shiny texture, making them easily distinguishable on agar plates.

[12] When grown in the presence of high sugar levels, S. carnosus experienced overflow metabolism that led to the appearance of tetra stem peptides in its peptidoglycan.

[12] S. carnosus also upregulates the production of catalase and superoxide dismutase, both of which provide important antioxidant functions, when incubated in a sausage fermentation environment (i.e., acidic conditions, available nitrite and nitrate, and minimal aeration).

[3] Many of the open reading frames in the S. carnosus genome are truncated, reflecting the loss of gene functions as a result of living in a nutrient-rich environment.

[3] The non-pathogenicity of S. carnosus is supported by the low number of mobile elements in its genome as well as a lack of toxins and superantigens found in pathogenic species like S. aureus and S.

In addition to a nitrate-nitrite reduction system, LTH 3730 also contained genes encoding catalase, peroxidases, and proteins involved in oxidative stress response.

[17] This hemolytic activity, coupled with the presence of proteins identified in pathogenic strains of staphylococci, has prevented the use of LTH 3730 as a starter culture.

[3] Others have proposed that S. carnosus could be derived from fish based on its phylogenetic proximity to S. piscifermentans and the similarities in their 16S rRNA and CydA and CydB proteins.

[18] This finding provides an explanation for why S. carnosus is not usually isolated from the environment, such as in the food industry and the clinical setting, and why its true ecological niche is still uncertain.

[21] Additionally, its extensive use in meat preparation and status as a GRAS (generally regarded as safe) organism makes S. carnosus a possible candidate for delivering live vaccines as it poses very little danger to the host.