Enterotoxin production by Staphylococcus aureus related to the origin of the strains.

The production of enterotoxins by strains of Staphylococcus aureus of human and animal origin seems to be common. 104 out of 170 strains (61%) produced one or more of the A, B, and C enterotoxins. Strains from cow and milk often produced enterotoxin C, and enterotoxin A producing strains were mainly isolated from dogs. Human food poisoning seemed in our material to be induced by enterotoxin A producing strains.