Staphylococcus in toxic shock syndrome and other surgical infections. Development of new bacteriophages

W. A. Altemeier, S. A. Lewis, H. S. Bjornson, J. L. Staneck and P. M. Schlievert

Recent studies of Staphylococcus aureus isolates from patients with toxic shock syndrome (TSS) have shown the dominance of phage type 29/52 with the capacity to produce pyrogenic exotoxin C and enterotoxin F. They also showed that 29% of the isolates were nontypable and 90% of them had similar toxigenic properties. The existence of unknown and important phages in this disease was postulated. Five new phages were then developed and used for typing three groups of staphylococcal isolates: 236 from patients with TSS, 67 from patients without TSS, and 159 from patients with infected burns. Results showed a high correlation between the lytic action of the new phages and the 29/52 phages, and an additional typing capability in 35% of the previously nontypable TSS isolates, emphasizing further the potential of bacteriophage typing of S aureus in these infections.