Studies With Staphylococcal Toxins: Ii. The Specificity of Enterotoxin

Abstract

The reported study of the l;no~vn toxins of six different strains of enterotoxigenic staphylococci of diverse lysin productivity allows the conclusion that the enterotoxin, as indicated by the emetic response of cats, is a specific entity that is distinct from or-, p-, or 6-lysins. Emesis in cats may also be caused by p-lysin if injected in quantities greater than SO units per ligm. The Dolman Ititten test for enterotoxin may be made less eq~~ivocal by selective removal of all traces of lysins by boiling of the test specimen followed by incubation in the presence of ascorbic acid. Lysins inactivated by heat, formalin, homologous antitoxins, or ascorbic acid do not cause emesis. Immunization of cats with specific enterotoxic filtrates has demonstrated the existence of antigenically distinct enterotosins. a t 57" C. than a t temperatures above 80" C.On the other hancl, North (15) has shown t h a t a number of strains t h a t produced alpha-lysin were not enterotoxigenic, while Dolinan (3) was able t o inhibit the production of alpha-lysin by incubating cultures a t room temperature without curtailing the enterotoxicity of a filtrate. Dolman and Wilson &Ianz~script received Janz~ary 26, 1955. A contrihz~tion from the laboratories of the Food and Drug Directorate Department of National Healtlt attd Welfare, Ottawa, Canada. Can. J. Microbiol. Downloaded from www.nrcresearchpress.com by McMaster University on 11/26/14 For personal use only.

IN VITROSTUDIES ON STAPHYLOCOCCAL ENTEROTOXIN PRODUCTION

“…The reaction of identity method should facilitate the survey of staphylococcal strains as to their enterotoxin type. The evidence presented in this paper gives additional proof of the existence of at least two different serological types of enterotoxin (Thatcher and Matheson, 1955;Bergdoll et al, 1959;Casman, 1959). A suitable antiserum against the 196E enterotoxin type has not yet been obtained in our laboratory, but the preparation of such an antiserum has been indicated by Casman (1959) who adsorbed out the extraneous antibodies from antiserum prepared against relatively crude 196E enterotoxin.…”

Recovery of staphylococcal enterotoxin from foods by affinity chromatography

“…Although beta-hemolysin is heat labile, some activity may survive 10 to 30 min of boiling (8,26,30). Beta-hemolysin is also sensitive to trypsin (30).…”

Studies With Staphylococcal Toxins: Iv. The Purification and Metallic Requirements of Specific Hemolysins

“…* One, L.16, was involved in a food-poisoning incident and some of its properties have already been described (32). The second, strain 92, was isolated from a hospitalized patient with a plrogenic infection.…”