Toxic shock syndrome: the effect of solid phase materials on the physiology of Staphylococcus aureus

Rayon and chemically modified cotton were compared for their effects in vitro on the physiology of a strain of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from a patient with toxic shock syndrome. Two types of experiment were carried out. The materials were used to pretreat the medium before culturing in the absence of the materials. Chemically modified cotton was either added or removed from three hour cultures and incubation continued. The rayon treated medium had little effect on growth or exoenzyme/toxin production by S. aureus. The chemically modified cotton greatly reduced growth of S. aureus and decreased exoenzyme/toxin production when added to three hour cultures. However, pretreated medium and cultures grown for three hours with the material present followed by incubation in its absence increased the exoenzyme/toxin production by S. aureus. The in vitro data suggests large effects of chemically modified cotton on the physiology of S. aureus by in some way, at present unknown, altering the growth medium.