Lipolytic Activity of Staphylococcus Albus**From the Department of Medicine, Division of Dermatology, Harbor General Hospital, Torrance, California 90509, and the Department of Medicine, Division of Dermatology UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California 90024.

Abstract

Several indirect lines of evidence have converged to suggest that C. acnes and S. albus are sources of lipolytic enzymes in the pilosebaceous follicle and sebaceous duct, resulting in the liberation of free fatty acids, a process thought to be highly significant in the pathogenesis of acne. Direct experimental confirmation of the previously inferred role of S. albus has been obtained by incubation of known pure triglycerides with S. albus, and subsequent analysis of the resultant product with thin layer chromatography. In this in vitro system S. albus has been clearly demonstrated to have the capacity to cleave triglycerides resulting in the liberation of free fatty acids. These results are similar to those obtained in our previous studies with C. acnes