Adherence of lysostaphin to and penetration into human monocytes.

The effect of lysostaphin on Staphylococcus aureus phagocytosed by monocytes was investigated. The results showed that lysostaphin adheres to monocytes by a temperature-independent mechanism, is not adequately removed from monocytes by washing, and penetrates by means of a temperature-dependent mechanism. In in vitro assays of monocyte function, phagocytosed S. aureus can be killed by lysostaphin after penetration of the cells during incubation or by adhering lysostaphin when the monocytes are disrupted.