Antibacterial activity of staphylococcus aureus isolated from impetigo and non-impetigo cases

ABSTRACT

Screening of 56 S. aureus isolated from impetigo and 30 from non impetigo cases for their antibacterial activity as well as for hemolysin, lipase, lecithinase and DNase production was carried in this study. The antibacterial activity in both groups was mainly against micrococci and diphtheroids; being more pronounced in the impetigo group while hemolysis, lecithinase, lipase production were higher in the non impetigo group. The production of antagonistic substance in the impetigo group was encoded on a plasmid different from that responsible for the ampicillin resistance. In both groups, the active substance was found to be a protein of high molecular weight related to the bacteriocins. Such substances could be used as an epidemiological tool in rapid tracing of S. aureus strains in cases and carriers