ANTAGONISTIC EFFECT OF STAPHYLOCOCCUS HYICUS AND STAPHYLOCOCCUS CHROMOGENES .EXlUBlTED ON STAPHYLO- COCCAL DELTA HEMOLYSIN

Skalka B.: Antagonistic Effect of Staphylococcus hyicus and Staphylococcus chromogenes Exhibited on Staphylococcal Delta Hemolysin. Acta vet. Bmo, 60,1991: 61-69. Staphylococcus hyicus and Staphylococcus chromo genes are able to inhibit hemolytic effect of the staphylococcal delta hemolysin on agar media supplemented with human or sheep erythrocytes. This inhibition takes place even when the effect of delta hemolysin on agars with sheep erythrocytes is potentiated with staphylococcal beta hemolysin. Although less markedly expressed, similar antagonistic effect on staphylococcal delta hemolysin is also found in' a majority of strains Staphylococcus sciuri, Staphylococcus lentus and some Micrococcus spp. Other species of coagulase-negative staphylococci have no antagonistic effect on delta hemolysin. A technique of a combined test of hemolytic interactions (CTHI) for a simultaneous assay of hemolytic antagonism and synergism was proposed, which can be used to differentiate S. hyicus and S. chromogenes from other novobiocin-sensitive staphylococcal species. Staphylococcus hyicus, Staphylococcus chromo genes, staphylococcal delta hemolysin, antagonistic effect, combined test of hemolytic interactions (CTHI) In our previous paper (Skalka 1988) we described hemolytic activity of S. hyicus and S. chro:mogenes on blood agars with rabbit or human erythrocytes. Hemolytic effects of these two staphylococcal species on agar media supplemented with erythrocytes of various animal origin differed from the data on sensitivity of various erythrocytes to staphylococcal hemolysins alpha, beta, gammaand delta (Dolman 1932; Glenny and Stevens 1935; Smith and Price 1938; Williams and Harper 1947; Marks and Vaughan 1950; Jackson 1962; Jeljaszewicz 1972; Wiseman 1975). In the paper mentioned we were not even able to confirm the descriptions of delta hemolysin production by certain strains of the two staphylococcal species (Hebert and Hancock 1985; Lammler and Blobel 1987; Watts and Owens 1987) or the information on their ability to pro·duce gamma hemolysin (Goodfellow et al. 1987). The discrepancy between our findings and the descriptions of other authors cited stimulated our continuous study of hemolytic manifestations of the two above-mentioned staphylococcal :1lpecies, which is the subject-matter of the present paper. Materials and Methods