The effects of glucosamine derivatives on the growth of cultivable Treponema.

The effects of glucosamine and its derivatives on the growth of Treponema phagedenis biotypes reiter and kazan 5 were studied to determine if these agents could act as growth stimulants for organisms of the genus Treptonema. Growth studies on the cultivable treponemes were conducted in culture tubes containing glucosamine, glucosamine derivatives, and (or) glucose and galactose in serum-based media. Glucosamine and N-phenylacetylglucosamine were definitely inhibitory to growth at the concentrations studied. N-acetylglucosamine (NAG) produced mixed effects.