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J Bacteriol. 1965 March; 89(3): 583-588
Copyright © 1965 American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Effect of Partially Purified Streptococcal M Protein on the In Vitro Phagocytosis of Streptococcus pyogenes¹

^a Department of Microbiology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana

ABSTRACT

DOMINGUE, GERALD J. (Tulane University, New Orleans, La.), AND WILLIAM A. PIERCE, JR. Effect of partially purified streptococcal M protein on the in vitro phagocytosis of Streptococcus pyogenes. J. Bacteriol. 89:583–588. 1965.—M protein from Streptococcus pyogenes strain Bailey type 12 was adsorbed onto cells of a glossy mutant of this strain. Phagocytosis experiments were performed in vitro with rabbit peritoneal polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Direct microscopic counts suggested M protein-treated cells were more resistant to phagocytosis than were untreated cells. With the Cohn and Morse technique for evaluating quantitatively the fate of bacteria during phagocytosis, there was observed a more rapid drop in total and extracellular counts of treated, as compared with untreated, cells. Experiments with radioactively labeled streptococci showed that M-treated cells were more readily destroyed within leukocytes than were nontreated glossy streptococci, which suggested a reason for the scarcity of treated streptococci in direct microscopic counts.

² Present address: Children's Hospital, Laboratory of Bacteriology, Buffalo, N.Y.

¹ Part of the dissertation of Gerald J. Domingue presented to the Graduate Faculty of Tulane University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Ph.D. degree.