PCR detection of toxic shock syndrome toxin of Staphylococcus aureus from Tripoli, Libya.

Sixty-three Staphylococcus aureus strains (40 from clinical sources and 23 from food sources) were examined for toxic shock syndrome toxin-1 (TSST-1) using PCR, phage typed using the international phage set (IPS) and tested for their susceptibility to antibiotics. Only three strains (all from clinical sources) were positive for the TSST-1 gene (tst). The majority of S.