A clinical isolate is presumptively identified as S. aureus utilizing several simple procedures listed in Table 2.
Table 2. Laboratory Identification of S. aureus.| Test | Result |
| Gram stain | Gram-positive cocci, occurring singly, in pairs, or clusters (resembling "bunches of grapes") |
| Catalase test | Staphylococci are catalase positive, distinguishing them from streptococci which are catalase negative
|
| Coagulase test | S. aureus is coagulase positive
|
| DNAse test | S. aureus is DNAse positive
|
| Heat stable endonuclease | S. aureus is positive
|
There are also many commercial kits available for identification of S. aureus based on latex agglutination.
