Abstract
Summary
A chemical characterization of the endotoxin from three strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was undertaken to determine the relationships of the endotoxin of this microorganism to endotoxins from other species of gram-negative bacteria.
Hydrolysis of the polysaccharide fraction of the endotoxin of P. aeruginosa yielded glucose, glucosamine, galactosamine, rhamnose, heptose, and ketodeoxyoctonate. Fatty acids identified as methyl esters in the lipid fraction were lauric, palmitic, stearic, oleic, and linoleic; caprylic and capric acids also appeared to be present. Two additional minor fatty acid components which could not be positively identified could have been either fatty acids of 14 and 15 carbon chain lengths or hydroxylated fatty acids, β-Hydroxymyristic acid could not be detected.
The endotoxin of P. aeruginosa appeared to have a backbone core polysaccharide similar to the Salmonella-Escherichia group of gram-negative bacteria. The polysaccharide comprising the core side chains of the endotoxin of P. aeruginosa was less complex with respect to the variety of carbohydrates than that of the enteric bacteria but similar to that of Neisseria or Xanthomonas. The lipid fraction of the endotoxin of P. aeruginosa is further distinguished by the absence of β-hydroxymyristic acid which is a component of the lipid fraction of the endotoxin of other gram-negative bacteria studied to date.
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