Enterotoxin B production by Staphylococcus aureus under controlled fatty acid nutrition induced by cerulenin.

Cells of Staphylococcus aureus, strain S-6, can grow in the presence of 100 microgram of cerulenin/ml if the basal medium is supplemented with certain saturated or unsaturated fatty acids. The production of enterotoxin B (SEB) is markedly influenced by both the ratio of saturated to unsaturated fatty acid and by the melting point of the unsaturated fatty acid supplement. The results presented suggest that a certain degree of membrane fluidity promotes maximum SEB production and that greater or lesser degrees of membrane fluidity prohibit substantial SEB formation but fail to affect final growth density.