NATURE OF THE TOXIC MOIETY OF STREPTOCOCCUS SCARLATINAE

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Toxicology
• Immunology

Background:

• Scarlet fever is caused by Streptococcus scarlatinae.
• The toxic principles of bacterial culture filtrate and lysate are key to understanding disease severity.
• Previous research suggested toxins originate from the bacterial cell.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the toxicity of Streptococcus scarlatinae culture lysate and filtrate.
• To characterize the nature of the toxic principles involved.
• To evaluate the efficacy of in vivo prepared lysate as an antigen for antiendotoxic serum production.

Main Methods:

• Human skin tests comparing dilutions of lysate and filtrate.
• Intradermal reactions in humans and animal tests (dogs).
• Analysis of toxic effects and pathological changes (nephritis) following injections.

Main Results:

• Streptococcus scarlatinae lysate is approximately ten times more potent than its culture filtrate in cutaneous reactions.
• Both filtrate (Dick's toxin) and lysate (Duval-Hibbard endotoxin) contain similar intracellular streptococcal derivatives.
• In vivo prepared lysate is a more potent antigen for antiendotoxic serum production compared to other forms of the bacteria.
• Intravenous injection of lysate in dogs causes severe toxemia, acute hemorrhagic nephritis, and glomerulonephritis, often leading to death.

Conclusions:

• The toxic substance of Streptococcus scarlatinae originates from intracellular bacterial components released during cell dissolution.
• In vivo prepared lysate is a highly effective antigen for producing antiendotoxic serum.
• The study supports the hypothesis that bacterial cell lysis releases the poisonous substance responsible for scarlet fever toxicity.