A rapid method for the differentiation of Staphylococcus aureus hemolysins

A rapid method for the differentiation of hemolytic staphylococci is described. Instead of a beta-hemolysin monoproducing Staphylococcus culture, a test strip, soaked in a stabilized product of the S. aureus strain CCM 6188 with defined cytolytic activity, is used. The results of the rapid method can be read one day earlier than those of the conventional method. A set of 137 strains of S. aureus from various sources, including 46 enterotoxin-producing (SE-positive) ones, were examined by both methods. A higher proportion of alpha- and delta-hemolysin-producing strains was found among the SE-positive strains, while (alpha + beta)-hemolysin production prevailed among the SE-negative ones.