Studies of staphylococcal products associated with pathogenicity: In vitro and in vivo studies of smooth and rough colonial variants of staphylococcus aureus

Smith, Douglas D (1958) Studies of staphylococcal products associated with pathogenicity: In vitro and in vivo studies of smooth and rough colonial variants of staphylococcus aureus. MD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

1. An association between colonial morphology and coagulase production in vitro is demonstrated; rough variants give high yields and smooth variants give low yields of coagulase. 2. The roughness of rough variants can he accentuated by the addition of blood or certain complex naphthalene compounds to solid media. 3. In their biochemical properties rough variants attack the same sugars as the smooth variants but generally are much less active in the liquefaction of gelatin. 4. Of 10 rough variants, 9 belonged to the same or a similar phage type as the smooth variant of the same strain, 5. It has been demonstrated that coagulase may exert its clotting action in vivo. 2 mgm. doses of a purified coagulase injected intravenously into rabbits causes death with massive intravascular thrombosis; 0.125 mgm. of the same coagulase was followed by a fall in blood fibrinogen of more than 60 per cent, 6. The quantitative production of haemolysins, with special reference to alpha and gamma lysins, by smooth and rough variants has been examined. Both types of variant produce alpha and gamma lysin but in smooth alpha tends to predominate, whereas lii rough. variants gamma 1B more often the major lysin. 7. Smooth - Rough variation is associated with a loss of alpha lysin. Rough variants give rise to smooth colonial variants characterised by an almost complete lack of haemolytic activity . 8. Gamma lysin resembles alpha lysin in that its lytic action on sheep RBC at 37

• Item Type: Thesis (MD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Additional Information: Adviser: P Browning
• Keywords: Microbiology
• Date of Award: 1958
• Depositing User: Enlighten Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:1958-73631
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 14 Jun 2019 08:56
• Last Modified: 14 Jun 2019 08:56
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/73631