ISOLATION AND PROPERTIES OF A GROUP ANTIGEN OF STAPHYLOCOCCUS ALBUS

Comparison of cell wall teichoic acid fractions isolated from three different encapsulated strains of Staphylococcus epidermidis

Teichoic acid preparations extracted from the cell wall of three serologically different encapsulated strains of Staphylococcus epidermidis, ATCC-31432 (capsular type I), SE-360 (capsular type II) and SE-10 (capsular type III) were purified by DEAE-cellulose and Sephadex G-50 column chromatography. The preparations showed immunological heterogeneity by an agar diffusion test. The chemical properties of the cell wall teichoic acid preparations of capsular types I and III were regarded as N-acetyl-glucosaminyl glycerol-phosphate polymers containing N-acetylglucosamine and phosphate at molar ratios of 0.22-1.0 and 0.33-1.0, respectively. The preparation of capsular type II was assumed to be an alpha-glucosyl glycerol-phosphate polymer containing glucose and phosphate at a molar ratio of 0.49-1.0, and it reacted strongly with concanavalin A. Moreover, alanine, glycine, serine and lysine were shown, among these preparations, to be a common amino acid composition. These results indicate that cell wall teichoic acids obtained from these strains were biochemically and immunologically different from each other.

Chemical composition and structure of cell wall teichoic acids of staphylococci

The cell wall teichoic acid structures of 22 staphylococci including 13 type strains were determined. Most of the strains contain a poly(polyolphosphate) teichoic acid with glycerol and/or ribitol as polyol component. The polyolphosphate backbone is partially substituted with various combinations of sugars and/or amino sugars. Most of the substituents occur in a monomeric form but some strains also contain dimers of N-acetylglucosamine as substituents. Staphylococcus hyicus subsp. hyicus NCTC 10350 and S. sciuri DSM 20352 revealed rather complex cell wall teichoic acids. They consist of repeating sequences of phosphate-glycerol-phosphate-N-acetylglucosamine. The amino sugar component is present in this case as a monomer or an oligomer (n less than or equal to 3). Moreover, the glycerol residues are partially substituted with N-acetylglucosamine. The cell wall teichoic acid of S. auricularis is a poly(N-acetylglucosaminyl-phosphate) polymer similar to that found in S. caseolyticus ATCC29750. The cell wall teichoic acid structures for type strains of S. auricularis, S. capitis, S. cohnii, S. haemolyticus, S. hominis, S. hyicus subsp. hyicus, S. sciuri, S. xylosus and S. warneri were determined for the first time in detail. The structures of some of the previously described teichoic acids had to be revised (S. epidermidis, S. simulans, S. aureus phage type 187).

Properties of an antigenic polysaccharide from Corynebacterium parvum

Corynebacterium parvum strain 10390 is an antitumor agent and stimulant of the reticuloendothelial system and produces a soluble antigen towards the end of its growth cycle. This material, which is a cell wall component and can also be released from the organism by acid or alkaline hydrolysis, has been purified. It is an acidic polysaccharide of molecular weight 100,000 to 150,000 and contains galactose, glucose, fucose, N-acetylgalactosamine, N-acetylglucosamine, uronic acids, sialic acids, and a small proportion of amino acids. The antigen gives a precipitin reaction with antisera raised against the whole organism and also binds to animal cells. The antigenic determinants are extremely resistant to oxidation, reduction, and enzymatic and chemical hydrolysis, but the single cell-binding site is destroyed by alkali and also by Helix pomatia digestive juice, alginase, and neuraminidase without substantially affecting the molecular weight. This site is inaccessible until the molecule is released from the cell surface. The possibility that the soluble antigen is the biologically active fraction of C. parvum is discussed.

A serological method for distinguishing coagulase-negative staphylococci from micrococci

Absorbed antisera prepared against heat-killed suspensions of a coagulase-negative staphylococcus and of a micrococcus were used in a slide-agglutination test. A collection of 176 coagulase-negative aerobic cocci, from which Staphylococcus aureus had been excluded, was classified into staphylococci and micrococci by means of the test for anaerobic utilization of glucose. Of 113 staphylococci, 99 reacted with the anti-staphylococcus serum, seven with the micrococcus serum, and seven with neither; of 63 micrococci, 55 reacted with the micrococcus serum and eight were untypable. Thus 161 of 176 strains (91%) were classifiable serologically, and in 154 of 161 instances (95%) the results of the serological and biochemical classification were in agreement.

Immunological properties of teichoic acids

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