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THE STAPHYLOCOCCAL INTERFERENCE EFFECT
Author(s) -
Pawlyszyn G,
Gulasekharam J
Publication year - 1963
Publication title -
australian journal of experimental biology and medical science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.999
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1440-1711
pISSN - 0004-945X
DOI - 10.1038/icb.1963.11
Subject(s) - zymosan , microbiology and biotechnology , staphylococcus , staphylococcus aureus , staphylococcal infections , biology , bacteria , chemistry , in vitro , biochemistry , genetics
SUMMARY An injection of bacterial supernatant from pathogenic or non‐pathogenic staphylococci produces in mice a high degree of early and transient protection against staphylococcal infection and a low degree of protection against infection by other organisms. Similar results were obtained with purified fractions of the staphylococcal supernatant. A Pseudomonas preparation, however, gave an equally high degree of protection against staphylococcal and Bacillus friedlander infections. Mice protected with staphylococcal supernatant, when given an injection of zymosan 24 hours before being subsequently infected, showed a marked decrease of resistance to staphylococcal infection and an increase of resistance to infection by B. friedlander . Similar treatment with zymosan had little effect on the degree of protection in mice immunised with Pseudomonas culture supernatant. Zymosan alone, given under the conditions of the above test, had no effect on the susceptibility of the mice to staphylococcal or B. friedlander infection. Results of these investigations suggest that the staphylococcus has a specific component, which enables it to stimulate a protective mechanism which is different from that involved in the non‐specific resistance induced by Gram‐negative organisms.