A Carbohydrate Isolated from Monilia Psilosis

Abstract

In the light of the recent work on specific carbohydrates of various organisms, it seemed advisable to test the nature of one of the Monilia group of fungi in this respect. Monilia psilosis, Ashford, was chosen because of its possible relation to tropical sprue. Kurotchkin and Chu, 1 using a Monilia tropicalis, isolated from a case of bronchomoniliasis, obtained complement fixation and weak precipitin tests with an alkaline extract of the organism and with the alcoholic precipitate from this extract. No further attempts at purification of this material were reported.

The method of extraction, as first used, was that of Salkowski as given by Mueller and Tomcsik 2 in their work on yeast gum. Six day cultures of Monilia psilosis grown on honey broth were centrifuged, washed with water followed by alcohol, and extracted over-night twice with ether. The organisms, when treated by the method of Mueller and Tomcsik, gave an active material as indicated by the precipitin reaction. The method was later modified in that the monilia bodies were given (after alcohol washing and ether extraction) a preliminary treatment with Fehling's solution, 100 cc. for every 10 gm. of the dry material. The violet-colored material was centrifuged off and washed 3 times with distilled water, thus removing considerable protein dissolved by the alkali. The colored residue was then decolorized with N HCl and centrifuged or filtered. The clear liquid contained the active material. This liquid was treated with Fehling's solution, which caused the separation of a blue, flocculent precipitate, the active material. This, after two washings with distilled water by centrifugation, was dissolved in 10 cc. of N HCl for each 10 gm. of the original monilia.