ABSTRACT
Products obtained from lysis in the cell wall of group A streptococcus have been studied in different growth phases: at the end of the exponential phase and in the stationary one. Endo-beta-N-acetylmuramidase extracted from the culture liquid of Streptomyces levoris 96 has been used for lysis of streptococcus. It is stated that streptococcus cell walls isolated at different growth stages differ in the protein and polysaccharide content. High content of protein in the cell wall of a young culture makes lower the initial rate of the walls' hydrolysis by endo-beta-N-acetylmuramidase. However, with the enzyme penetration into peptidoglycan the rate of hydrolysis of cell walls gets higher and after four-hour incubation the lysis degree of walls of the 16- and 8-hour cultures reaches the equal value (63%). Studies in the protein composition of lysates of the streptococcus cell walls have shown that they contain at least 12 proteins most of which are acid and neutral ones.
Subject(s)
Cell Wall/drug effects , Streptococcus pyogenes/drug effects , Cell Wall/chemistry , Chromatography, DEAE-Cellulose , Glycoside Hydrolases/isolation & purification , Glycoside Hydrolases/pharmacology , Hydrolysis , Isoelectric Focusing , Streptococcus pyogenes/chemistry , Streptococcus pyogenes/growth & development , Streptomyces/enzymology , Time FactorsABSTRACT
459 blood donors aged 18-50 years were examined in 1987-1988 in Moscow. Among them, carrier state with respect to beta-hemolytic streptococci was detected in 107 donors (23.3%). The number of carriers gradually decreased with the increase of age of the examined donors. Group C streptococci occurred least of all (6.9%). Group A beta-hemolytic streptococci were isolated in 16.7% of the carriers. The isolation rate of streptococci from blood achieved its maximum in autumn and winter months and did not depend on preceding diseases, unhealthy working conditions, the rhesus factor and, with the exception of group A streptococci, the blood group. Among tonsillectomized donors carrier state with respect to beta-hemolytic streptococci occurred 2.2 times less frequently than among donors who had not undergone tonsillectomy. Carrier state with respect to beta-hemolytic streptococci was accompanied by higher levels of salivary sIgA antibodies to polysaccharide A, serum antibodies to polysaccharide A and circulating polysaccharide A. All beta-hemolytic streptococci were sensitive to erythromycin. All groups of streptococci showed the highest percentage of cultures resistant to gentamicin and tetracycline. In 100% of cases group A streptococci were sensitive to benzylpenicillin, methicillin, ampicillin, erythromycin and lincomycin.
