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Updated: Aug 6, 2026

Staphylococcus aureus Growth using Human Hemoglobin as an Iron Source
Published on: February 7, 2013
Effect of antibiotics on staphylococcal hemolysin production
Abstract:
Thirty-seven per cent of 126 strains of Staphylococcus aureus, when tested on sheep blood-agar with sensitivity discs containing cephalothin, carbenicillin, oxacillin, penicillin, and cycloserine, produced rings of beta-hemolysis surrounding zones of inhibition of bacterial growth. Each strain capable of producing a ring of beta-hemolysis did so with at least two of the mentioned antibiotics. None of the other 15 antibiotics tested was associated with a ring of beta-hemolysis surrounding any of the zones of inhibition. It appears, therefore, that the beta-hemolysis observed was produced by certain strains of S. aureus only in association with certain antibiotics.
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