Staphylococcus aureus response to lysostaphin in some fermented foods.

The addition of lysostaphin to starting materials for cheese and fermented sausage that were artificially contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus resulted in an initial decrease in the staphylococcal flora. In a simulated cheese process, lysostaphin remained with the curd after separation of the whey. In both cheese and fermented sausage samples that were produced experimentally in the laboratory, a significant S. aureus population ultimately developed, even in the presence of lysostaphin. Staphylococcal isolates from these treated products were not more resistant to the lytic enzyme than was the parent strain.