Subcutaneous growth of Staphylococcus aureus concomitantly inoculated with Ehrlich ascites tumor cells

Intratumoral growth of Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I-derived AP332 was examined by subcutaneous inoculation of cocci in doses ranging from 18 to 1.8 x 10(5) CFU with Ehrlich ascites tumor cells. Inoculation of 18 CFU AP332 resulted in staphylococcal growth in one of five mice, and the proportion of mice established intratumoral infection increased with the initial inocula. Six other strains of S. aureus also grew in the tumor tissue, and none of the three strains of coagulase-negative staphylococci grew at all. Ethanol-killed tumor cells did not promote staphylococcal growth as vigorously as the live tumor cells, especially when the initial inoculum of AP332 was smaller than 10(4) CFU.