Aspects of staphylococcal growth, haemolysis and phagocytosis

The effects of medium composition on the growth, biochemical and biological activities of selected coagulase positive and negative Staphylococci have been investigated. The study concentrated on four major points, namely: nutrient requirements; haemolysin and enzyme production; their antigenic properties; and phagocytosis of the cells. The nutrient requirements for adequate growth of Staphylococci was investigated in a chemically defined medium (CDM) for each strain to determine the supplemental, required and essential amino acids. It was found that strain/species specific differences in amino acid requirements occur amongst the six Staphylococci. The growth of Staphylococcus epidermidis showed complete biotin-independence. Additionally, media derived from fish waste extract (FE) were prepared after developing a simple rapid method to digest the fish waste. FE was found a good substitute for beef extract in culture media. [Continues.]