[Demonstration of species-specific teichoic acids in staphylococcal species with reference to protein A activity...

Serologically different teichoic acids could be demonstrated as polysaccharide antigens in staphylococcal species by immunodiffusion (Fig. 1) and counterimmunoelectrophoresis (GSE, Fig. 2). Staphylococcus aureus contained polysaccharide A, S. epidermidis polysaccharide B, S. saprophyticus polysaccharide A beta C, and S. hyicus polysaccharide C (Table 2). These polysaccharides were specific for staphylococcal species and could not be found in micrococci. The antigen preparations for the GSE were autoclaved suspensions of the staphylococcal and micrococcal cultures. The specific antisera (Table 1) were obtained after absorption with pronase-treated staphylococcal reference strains. Treatment with pronase removed protein A from the absorbing staphylococci. In this manner the "nonspecific" loss of specific antibodies was prevented. This would have occurred by the attachment of the Fc-component of immunoglobulin G to protein A of S. aureus. The precipitin-lines contained the polysaccharide-antigens and not protein A.