Effect of tampon wraps on production of toxic shock syndrome toxin 1.

The influence of tampon wraps on the production and distribution of toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 (TSST-1) was investigated with use of a disk-membrane-agar method. Filter membranes (45 micron) overlaying agar medium in 50-mm petri dishes were spread-inoculated with a TSST-1-producing strain of Staphylococcus aureus and covered with 0.5 mL of whole citrated rabbit blood. Disks of tampon core materials with and without wraps were placed on the inoculated membranes and incubated at 37 degrees C in 5% CO2 in air. Eight wraps with each of 14 tampon core materials were tested to determine the amount of toxin in the agar layer, a quantity considered an indicator of the relative amounts of toxin available for absorption in vivo. The average level of toxin in the agar layer with any particular wrap compared with that in the agar layer with no wrap was higher with five wraps, lower with two wraps, and essentially the same with one wrap. The lower levels of toxin were obtained with one wrap that had a starch binder and with one that contained the surfactant Standamul 1414-E. Standamul 1414-E has been reported to be an inhibitor of growth of and production of TSST-1 by S. aureus.