Bacteriophage Typing of Staphylococcus Aureus

Abstract

Staphylococcus aureus is the potentially pathogenic bacterial species most frequently found in the noninfected eyes of normal individuals and preoperative patients at this Institute. Thirty-three and six tenths per cent of 6,523 cases cultured between 1938^1,2and 1955 were positive for Staphylococcus aureus. This organism also apparently causes various ocular infections such as acute and chronic conjunctivitis, chalazion, hordeolum, dacryocystitis, corneal ulcer, and endophthalmitis. Previous studies indicate that Staphylococcus aureus is almost invariably the etiologic agent responsible for postoperative infections,¹and that when preoperative cultures were available the Staphylococcus aureus was present before operation. It has not yet been possible to foretell whether a given staphylococcal strain in a patient is capable of causing an infection. In recent years bacteriophage typing has been used to differentiate individual strains of Staphylococcus aureus. The purpose of the present study has been to apply bacteriophage typing to strains of staphylococci isolated