[Prevalence of exfoliatin-producing strains in phage group II "Staphylococcus aureus" (author's transl)].

Prevalence of exfoliatin production has been investigated in 100 strains of Staphylococcus aureus, bacteriophage group II, by inoculation into newborn mice. Serotyping, detection of protein A and antibiotic susceptibility tests have also been performed. Thirty-one strains (31%) were toxin producers; they all produced a yellow pigment; there was no difference in phage attacks between toxinogenic and non-toxinogenic strains; but exfoliatin production was significantly associated to the presence of agglutinogens h2 and 263-2; rate of protein-A presence and of antibiotic susceptibility did not differ between the two groups of strains. In addition, toxin production has been investigated in 31 isolates from various skin lesions; 9 were found toxinogenic (8 amongst them had been cultivated from bullous lesions); most of them belonged to phage group II and possessed agglutinogens h2 and 263-2. So, in order to carry out the diagnosis of some bacterial skin infections, clinical symptoms, pathological and bacteriological data must be compared; the latter must include phage-typing, serotyping and exfoliatin detection.