Cellular fatty acids and fatty aldehydes of Listeria and Erysipelothrix.

The cellular fatty acid composition determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, was found not to differ among Listeria monocytogenes, L. innocua and L. ivanovii. Slight quantitative differences found in the fatty acid pattern of L. welshimeri were significantly pronounced in L. denitrificans. L. murrayi and L. grayi displayed characteristic closely related patterns. Considerable amounts of fatty aldehydes and their dimethyl acetals were observed in hydrolysates and methanolysates of L. seeligeri. The fatty acid composition of Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae was found to strongly differ from that of Listeria.

[Lipid composition of Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae and its L forms]. / Lipiden sustav na Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae i polucheni ot nego L-formi.

Studied was comparatively the lipid composition of two strains of Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae--A826-S and A973-S as well as the stable L-forms obtained from it and a form reverted back to the initial phenotypic state. All investigated organisms showed the presence of phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidyl-glycerol, cardiolipin, and small amounts of phosphatidylserine. Essential quantitative differences were found with cardiolipin which was about 25 per cent for the initial strains while its amount for the L-forms its amount reached 50 per cent and more. The reverted strain was shown to have a phospholipid profile close to that of the L-forms. Identified were 13 fatty acids with an even and odd number of carbon atoms as well as acids with double links. With both L-forms there was an increase in the amount of the lower fatty acids (up to C-15). A strong drop was observed of the palmitic acid (16:0). Discussed are the differences in the lipid composition of the L-forms with regard to their changed morphology and the capacity to survive without a cell wall.

[Studies of the toxic components of Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae. 2. Communication: Detailed characterization of an extracted endotoxin (author's transl)]. / Untersuchungen über toxische Bestandteile von Rotlaufbakterien (Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae). 2. Mitteilung: Nähere Charakterisierung eines extrahierten Endotoxins

The endotoxins of different Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae strains were examined in various biological systems, since in earlier investigations (Leimbeck and Böhm, 1975) the lethal effect for 10 day old chick embryos had been found to be highly dependent upon the virulence of the strains. The lethal effect for mice and rats was found to be much less. The toxin of the strain T28 proved to be highly pyrogenic for rabbits and inducing acute shock-effects in swine SCHULZ et al. (1961) already suggested that a shock-like pathogenesis existed in the swine erysipelas infection. Furthermore the endotoxic nature was confirmed by the typical course of temperature after i.v. application of the toxin, the ability to cause the Sanarelli-Schwartzman-reaction (both in rabbits), the protection against toxicity by cortisones, and heat stability. An erysipelas antiserum did not neutralize the toxin. It was found to have low antigenic and apparantly no immunogenic properties and an allergic skin-reaction in experimentally infected swine could not be induced. The toxins of various strains were tested by the macrophagemigration-inhibition test. In respect to a preliminary classification the toxin could be identified as a complexed water-soluble and heat-stable glucoproteid with an estimated molecular weight of 31.700. The polysaccharides were found to be the presumable carriers of toxicity.

[Investigations on toxic fractions of swine erysipelas bacteria (erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae). 1. Communication: Toxicity investigation on a phenol water extract in chicken embryos (author's transl)]. / Untersuchungen über toxische Bestandteile von Rotlaufbakterien (Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae). 1. Mitteilung: Toxizitätsprüfung eines Phenol-Wasser-Extraktes an Hühnerembryonen

The watersoluble fractions (WESTPHAL et al., 1952 a, b) of twelve Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae strains, which differed in virulence were tested for toxicity for ten day old chick-embryos by the route of i.v. injection. The LD50-values ranged from 108 mug to 0.01 mug toxin dry weight/embryo. The different toxicity of these extracts for chick-embryos was compared with the virulence of the corresponding strains in swine: The extracts of four strains with high virulence were very toxic for chick-embryos (LD50:0,01 mug to 0.207 mug) The extracts of four non-virulent strains were low-, respectively non-toxic (LD50:10.95 mug to 108 mug) The extract of one virulent strain showed an intermediate degree of toxicity (LD50:2.8 mug) In tese nine strains there was a correlation between virulence for swine and the toxicity of the extracts for chick-embryos. But this relation could not be found for three other strains.

L-form induction, morphology, and development in two related strains of Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae.

Two related strains of Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae, one the parent and the other an L-form revertant, were studied for their propensity or ability to produce L-forms under the influence of penicillin. The parent strain produced L-forms in nutrient solid media in an osmolarity range between 0.85 and 5.0% NaCl concentration whereas the revertant strain did so between 0.5 and 3.0% NaCl concentration. When various hyperosmolar media were tried without penicillin, recovery of L-forms from the revertant strain was optimal at a salt concentration of 2.0%, whereas the parent strain occasionally produced a few L-forms on 3.0% salt medium only. The process of penicillin-induced transformation from bacteria to L-form followed an unusual morphological sequence, beginning with beading of the bacterial body, followed by disintegration into granules from which the L-form colony derived. No large bodies were seen during the initial process of L-form induction, but they evolved later from the original granules and had the potential to reproduce L-type growth. The spontaneous development of L-forms in hyperosmolar media had a different morphological sequence starting with elongation of the bacteria into filaments which later developed polar and central dilatations from which granules and L-type growth developed. The differences in biological behavior between these related bacterial strains suggest that the revertant strain developed new properties, probably of genetic origin. Consequently, the assumption that L-forms revert to the "parent" bacteria may not always be justified. It can be made only after the biological properties of the parent and the revertant organisms have been properly identified.

Amino acid sequence of the threonine-containing mureins of coryneform bacteria.

In a study of the mureins of coryneform bacteria (Arthrobacter, Brevibacterium, Cellulomonas, Corynebacterium, Erysipelothrix), 21 threonine-containing strains were found. In several of the strains the amino acid and amino sugar composition of the murein was muramic acid (Mur), glucosamine (GlcNH(2)), d-Glu, l-Lys, l-Thr, and Ala in a molar ratio of 1:1:1:1:1:4 or 5, and in several other strains it was Mur, GlcNH(2), d-Glu, l-Lys, l-Thr, Ala, and l-Ser in a molar ratio of 1:1:1:1:1:3:1. The amino acid sequence of the mureins was determined by analyzing the oligopeptides derived from partial acid hydrolysates. It was shown that there were five different murein types. The peptide subunits attached to the muramic acid are the same, namely l-Ala-d-GluNH(2)-l-Lys-d-Ala. In one strain, the alpha-carboxyl group of d-Glu is substituted by d-alanine amide. The interpeptide bridges of the different types consist of the peptides l-Ala-l-Thr-l-Ala, l-Ala-l-Thr, l-Ala-l-Ala-l-Thr, l-Ala-l-Ala-l-Ala-l-Thr, or l-Ala-l-Thr-l-Ser which are bound through their C-termini (l-Ala, l-Thr, l-Ser) to the epsilon-amino group of l-Lys of one peptide subunit and by their N-termini (l-Ala) to the C-terminal d-Ala of an adjacent peptide subunit. Determination of the N- and C-terminal groups in the mureins showed that about 15 to 30% of the interpeptide bridges are not cross-linked.