Amino Acid Requirements for the Production of Enterotoxin B by Staphylococcus aureus S-6 in a Chemically Defined Medium

A minimal chemically defined medium has been developed for growth (approximately 25 Klett units) and production of detectable enterotoxin B (approximately 5-6 μg/ml) by Staphylococcus aureus S-6. This medium contains monosodium glutamate as a source of carbon, nitrogen, and energy, three additional amino acids (arginine, cystine, and phenylalanine), six inorganic salts, and four vitamins. Increasing the concentrations of several amino acids in a series of defined media gave no increase in enterotoxin production. Apparently the limiting factor for growth and enterotoxin production in these media is the biosynthesis of one or more missing amino acids, rather than the concentration of the amino acids present in the media. An additional requirement for proline and valine was observed when glucose was added as the primary source of energy. When compared to complex media, our results indicated that the inhibitory effect of glucose on enterotoxin synthesis in defined media was less evident or totally absent.