Alcohol Soluble Specific Substances of B. Diphtheriae and of Streptothrix

[摘要] The antigens of the bacterial suspension and the alcoholic extract of the diphtheria strain used in our experiment could not be differentiated in the absorption experiment. The diphtheria toxin is a different antigen from both the alcohol soluble antigen and the antigens demonstrable in our non-toxic diphtheria bacillus emulsion. The alcohol soluble specific substance of the B. diphtheriae is soluble in methyl alcohol, aceton and weak alkali; insoluble in ether, weak acids and water. The N content of two purified preparations was 5.6 and 5.7 per cent respectively. After hydrolysis the biuret reaction was negative, the ninhydrin reaction was positive. Pepsin and trypsin did not increase the potency of a purified preparation for the complement fixation test. The unit for the complement fixation test in the purified preparation was from 0.00035 to 0.00045 mgm. The addition of an alcoholic solution of lecithin to the alcoholic extract of B. diphtheriae increases its potency in the complement fixation test four times. The solubility of this specific substance makes its protein nature improbable.An alcohol soluble specific substance was demonstrated in a streptothrix strain. The unit for the complement fixation test in a non-purified preparation was 0.0006 mgm. The addition of an alcoholic solution of lecithin to the alcoholic extract of streptothrix increases its potency in the complement fixation test 200 times in a mixture containing 2 per cent alcoholic extract.No alcohol soluble specific substance could be demonstrated in the case of B. xerosis , of trychophyton, actinomyces and yeast.

[学科分类] 生物科学（综合）