Abstract
Summary
The biochemical and immunological properties of cell surface teichoic acid preparations were investigated by using strains Smith diffuse, NS58D, NS41D, and NS68D of Staphylococcus aureus, capsular-types A, B, C, and D, respectively, as determined by the serum-soft agar technique, d-fucosamine, d-galactosamine, taurine, and hydroxyproline were detected in these preparations. The surface teichoic acid preparations from strains Smith diffuse, NS58D and NS41D were of the ribitol-type but the glycerol-type was found in strain NS68D. The major acetylglucosaminyl and acetylgalactosaminyl residues of surface teichoic acid preparations from strains Smith diffuse and NS41D were attached to the polyribitol phosphate by the β-linkage, but attachment for strain NS58D was by the α-linkage, and for strain NS68D the attachment to the polyglycerol phosphate was by both the acetylgalactosaminyl α-and β-linkages. In the agar diffusion test, the teichoic acid preparations of all strains produced a single precipitin line only against hyperimmune rabbit sera prepared from corresponding homologous capsular-type strain; however, no precipitin line was produced against heterologous antisera. These results confirmed the serological classification of the capsular-types determined by the serum-soft agar technique.
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