Investigation by syringe method of effect of tampons on production in vitro of toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 by Staphylococcus aureus.

A syringe method was designed to test the effect of tampons on the growth of three toxic shock syndrome-associated strains of Staphylococcus aureus and their in vitro production of toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 (TSST-1) under different conditions. Various amounts of TSST-1 were recovered from different tampons inoculated with these strains. Generally, the addition of 10% porcine blood to the growth medium, incubation in the presence of 5% CO2, or the combination of these two factors resulted in the stimulation of TSST-1 production.