A total 355 of Staphylococcus cohnii isolates from hospital environment, patients (newborns), medical staff and from non-hospital environment were tested for hemolytic activity. Ninety-one % of S. cohnii ssp. cohnii and 74.5 % S. cohnii ssp. urealyticus strains exhibited hemolysis synergistic to S. aureus ATCC 25923 strain. Crude preparations of hemolysins of both bacterial subspecies presented delta-hemolysin, but not alpha- and beta-toxin activity. Highly pure hemolysins were obtained by semipreparative SDS-PAGE or by organic solvent extraction from the freeze-dried crude preparations. Native-PAGE and 2D-PAGE showed their high heterogeneity. Molar masses of single hemolysin units estimated by the Tris-Tricine-SDS-PAGE were calculated as 3.47 kDa for S. cohnii ssp. cohnii and 3.53 kDa for S. cohnii ssp. urealyticus.

Numerous isolates of both subspecies of Staphylococcus cohnii were found in the environment of the intensive-care unit of a pediatric hospital. These isolates carried in their cells many plasmids, up to fourteen, of a wide range of sizes (< 2 to > 56 kb). Striking was the occurrence of large plasmids not very common in staphylococci. These were present in > 80% of S. cohnii isolates. Fifty-two different plasmid profiles were found in 79 investigated isolates belonging to S. cohnii ssp. cohnii and S. cohnii ssp. urealyticus. Isolates similar in plasmid profiles were grouped in antibiotic-resistance clusters established for 9 antibiotics (gentamicin, ciprofloxacin, clindamycin, erythromycin, tetracycline, chloramphenicol, mupirocin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, vancomycin) using the method of unweighted pair group mathematical averages (UPGMA). Many isolates were multiresistant to antibiotics and produced bacteriocins.

Staphylococcus cohnii ssp. cohnii and S. cohnii ssp. urealyticus are a coagulase-negative staphylococci considered for a long time as unable to cause infections. This situation changed recently and pathogenic strains of these bacteria were isolated from hospital environments, patients and medical staff. Most of the isolated strains were resistant to many antibiotics. The present work describes isolation and characterization of several synergistic peptide hemolysins produced by these bacteria and acting as virulence factors responsible for hemolytic and cytotoxic activities. Amino acid sequences of respective hemolysins from S. cohnii ssp. cohnii (named as H1C, H2C and H3C) and S. cohnii ssp. urealyticus (H1U, H2U and H3U) were identical. Peptides H1 and H3 possessed significant amino acid homology to three synergistic hemolysins secreted by Staphylococcus lugdunensis and to putative antibacterial peptide produced by Staphylococcus saprophyticus ssp. saprophyticus. On the other hand, hemolysin H2 had a unique sequence. All isolated peptides lysed red cells from different mammalian species and exerted a cytotoxic effect on human fibroblasts.

Staphylococcal l‐asparaginase has been shown to be cell‐bound and does not occur in a free state in the culture fluid. Alkaline phosphatase activity was associated with the protoplasts, and the majority of the RNase was released during protoplast formation.

A total of 104 coagulase negative staphylococci, belonging to S. capitis, S. hominis, S. haemolyticus and S. warneri, originating from the collection of the Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology (ZMF), Medical University of Lodz, Poland, were tested for their synergistic hemolytic activity. 83% of strains produced δ-hemolysin, however, the percentage of positive strains of S. haemolyticus, S. warneri, S. capitis and S. hominis was different - 98%, 78%, 75% and 68%, respectively. Highly pure hemolysins were obtained from culture supernatants by protein precipitation with ammonium sulphate (0-70% of saturation) and extraction by using a mixture of organic solvents. The purity and molecular mass of hemolysins was determined by TRIS/Tricine PAGE. All CoNS hemolysins were small peptides with a molar mass of about 3.5 kDa; they possessed cytotoxic activity against the line of human foreskin fibroblasts ATCC Hs27 and lysed red cells from different mammalian species, however, the highest activity was observed when guinea pig, dog and human red blood cells were used. The cytotoxic effect on fibroblasts occurred within 30 minutes. The S. cohnii ssp. urealyticus strain was used as a control. The antimicrobial activity was examined using hemolysins of S. capitis, S. hominis, S. cohnii ssp. cohnii and S. cohnii ssp. urealyticus. Hemolysins of the two S. cohnii subspecies did not demonstrate antimicrobial activity. Cytolysins of S. capitis and S. hominis had a very narrow spectrum of action; out of 37 examined strains, the growth of only Micrococcus luteus, Corynebacterium diphtheriae and Pasteurella multocida was inhibited.