Production and properties of a staphylococcin genetically controlled by the staphylococcal plasmid for exfoliative toxin synthesis.

Previous data from this laboratory showed that certain phage group 2 staphylococci contain a large 56S virulence plasmid containing genes that code for both exfoliative toxin (ET) and a specific staphylococcin. Optimal cultural conditions for bacteriocin production were similar to those found for ET production. The bacteriocin is an extracellular product produced in small quantities that can be neither extracted from cell pellets with 1 M NaCl nor induced with mitomycin C. The staphylococcin is active against a wide variety of gram-positive organisms and also against group 2 staphylococcal strains that have been cured of the plasmid carrying the staphylococcin marker. The bacteriocin is not inactivated by oxidation, mechanical agitation, or boiling for 15 min. It is sensitive to the action of trypsin and Pronase but not lysostaphin and is stable within a pH range of 4 to 9. It has an isoelectric point of approximately 7.7. Removal of the ampholytes and glycerol from electrofocused staphylococcin preparations resulted in total loss of bacteriocin activity.