1. The serum opacity reaction of Streptococcus pyogenes: frequency of production of streptococcal lipoproteinase by strains of different serological types and the relationship of M protein production
- Author
-
Franklin H. Top and Lewis W. Wannamaker
- Subjects
Serotype ,Opacity ,Streptococcus ,Myeloma protein ,Streptococcus pyogenes ,Lipoproteins ,Immunology ,Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health ,Biology ,medicine.disease_cause ,Group A ,Precipitin Tests ,Microbiology ,Serology ,Blood ,Antigen ,Bacterial Proteins ,medicine ,Antigens ,Research Article ,Peptide Hydrolases - Abstract
The serum opacity reaction of Streptococcus pyoyenes (Ward & Rudd, 1938) has been found to be associated with a lipoproteinase which acts upon the ocl lipoprotein of the serum of various species to produce opa.lescence (Krumwiede, 1954; Rowen & Martin, 1963). Some observations on the general properties of the streptococcal factor and on the nature of the reaction in aged serum are recorded in an accompanying paper (Hill & Wannamaker, 1968). Although the nature of the reaction is not fully defined and other factors may possibly produce opalescence in serum, the terms serum opacity reaction (SOR) and lipoproteinase will be used interchangeably in this communication. Data presented by Ward & Rudd (1938), Gooder (1961), and Kohler (1963) suggested to us that production of the serum opacity reaction was rather closely associated with serotype a.s determined by M and T antigens. Burthermore, both Gooder and Kohler concluded that strains which were difficult to type by the Mprecipitin method generally produced a, SOR but that M-typable strains rarely produced this reaction. If an inverse relationship between M-antigen and SOR could be substantiated, the serum opacity reaction might be useful as a preliminary test to characterize group A strains as M-positive or M-negative. Further investigation of the production of this enzyme in individuaWl strains in relationship both to serotype and to production of an M-antigen and an investigation of the consistency of production of lipoproteinase by individual strains were therefore undertaken.
- Published
- 1968