Positive camp-phenomenon elicited by coagulase-negative staphylococci

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Abstract
Fifty out of sixty-five isolates of coagulase-negative staphylococci displayed a positive CAMP-reaction due to synergism of an extracellular toxin withS. aureus β-toxin on sheep erythrocytes. Of the CAMP-positive isolates, 40 were identified asS. epidermidis, 8 asS. hemolyticus, and 2 each asS. hominis andS. saprophyticus. CAMP-positivity did not appear to be an indication of pathogcnicity, and the incidence of CAMP-positive strains derived from wound infections did not differ from that found in clinically insignificant isolates. In five cases of mixed wound infection withS. aureus and a CAMP-positive S.epidermidis, no synergism between the toxins of the respective, paired isolates could be demonstrated since theS. aureus strains in these cases did not produceβ-toxin. The results show that most coagulase-negative staphylococci produce one or more toxins, possiblyδ-toxin, detectable by the CAMP-reaction. The biological significance of toxin production remains to be elucidated.