Previous studies indicated that enterotoxin B production by staphylococci was strongly inhibited by slight reductions in water activity (a(w)) levels. Similar studies reported herein, employing an enterotoxin A-producing strain, indicated that this organism was capable of producing enterotoxin at a much lower a(w) level than that required for enterotoxin B production. Staphylococcal growth rate...

The production of staphylococcal enterotoxin A and staphylococcal enterotoxin B was investigated in S. aureus isolates obtained from milk of clinically healthy sheep. In comparison with valid standard (up to 1. 10 CFU. ml), the S. aureus counts were higher in 36 of the total number of 46 positive milk samples (ranging from 1.2. 10 to 8.2. 10 CFU. ml). Six (13.0%) of the 46 isolates were enterot...

Staphylococcus aureus D4508, obtained from a patient with nonmenstrual toxic shock syndrome (TSS), produced enterotoxin A while not making other known enterotoxins or TSS toxin 1. Concentrated culture fluids of the organism, administered subcutaneously in miniosmotic pumps, induced TSS-like symptoms (four of six animals succumbed). Identical culture fluids pretreated with anti-enterotoxin A ser...

Staphylococcal superantigens (SAG) are implicated in the inflammation of atopic dermatitis. As SAG mediated diseases may be modified by specific antibodies, the antibody response to SAG in atopic dermatitis was investigated. Immunoglobulin (Ig) G to staphylococcal enterotoxin A (SEA), staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB), and toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 (TSST-1) were measured by sandwich enzyme ...