Effect of tampon composition on production of toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 by Staphylococcus aureus in vitro.
To determine whether tampons composed of cotton or rayon differ in their effects on production of TSST-1 in vitro, two methods of bacterial cultivation, with and without agitation, were used to study the effects of 16 commercially available and experimental tampons on production of TSST-1. Experiments were done in blinded fashion. TSST-1 was produced in medium alone in the absence of a tampon by both methods. Neither cotton nor rayon tampons consistently increased toxin production, nor were there significant differences between them in their effects on TSST-1. In contrast, a tampon composed of carboxymethylcellulose and polyester foam increased production of TSST-1 to a large degree in both culture systems. Thus, neither cotton nor rayon amplifies production of TSST-1 in vitro, and cotton tampons cannot be claimed to be inherently safer on the basis of such data.
Department of Medicine, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, New Hampshire 03756, USA.
J
J
Parsonnet
P A
PA
Modern
K D
KD
Giacobbe
D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D001431:Bacteriological Techniques; D002482:Cellulose; D003470:Culture Media; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D003368:Gossypium; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000502:physiology*; D018089:Superantigens; D013630:Tampons, Surgical
D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D003470:Culture Media; D004768:Enterotoxins; D018089:Superantigens; C030107:enterotoxin F, Staphylococcal; D002482:Cellulose; C012024:rayon, purified