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IMMUNOCHEMICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF STAPYLOCOCCUS EPIDERMIDIS AND MICROCOCCUS CELL WALLS
Author(s) -
Grov Arne,
Heigeland Svein M.
Publication year - 1971
Publication title -
acta pathologica microbiologica scandinavica section b microbiology and immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.909
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1600-0463
pISSN - 0365-5563
DOI - 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1971.tb00116.x
Subject(s) - teichoic acid , staphylococcus epidermidis , micrococcus , cell wall , microbiology and biotechnology , chemistry , lysis , bacteria , pronase , staphylococcus , agglutination (biology) , biochemistry , biology , trypsin , antigen , staphylococcus aureus , peptidoglycan , genetics , enzyme
Undigested cell walls from two Staphylococcus epidermidis and two Micrococcus strains have been isolated and subjected to chemical and serological examinations. Glycerol, the only sugar alcohol observed, and hexoses were present in all wall preparations. Cell walls from one of the micrococcal strains contained large amounts of alanine and only trace amounts of glycine. Serine was present in higher amounts in Staph. epidermidis than in Micrococcus walls. The precipitinogens found in extracts of whole bacteria were also present in the cell walls, but apparently behaved as haptens. One precipitinogen present in the wall of a Staph. epidermidis strain was very difficult to extract. It resisted periodate oxidation, but behaved as a teichoic acid in immunoelectrophoresis. The staphylococcaj cell walls sensitized both normal and tanned sheep erythrocytes for agglutination in antisera, whereas the micrococcal cell wails did not. The agglutinogens of whole bacteria were also present in the wall preparations, although in reduced amounts.