Abstract
Experimental evidence of the biological decomposition of cellulose was first presented 80 years ago, 1 and many articles have since been written concerning this phenomenon. The amassed knowledge has been well summarized. 2 , 3 We will therefore stress a few salient points.
The bacteria and fungi that live on cellulose exist for the greater part in soil, dung, or ensilage. Several saprophytic bacteria, as B. cereus and B. mesentericus have been reported as acting on cellulose, 4 but this has not been substantiated. 5 At first it was thought that symbiosis was necessary for the dissolution of cellulose, but further work demonstrated the ability of pure strains to perform this task. The action in any case is the result of a cellulase, and this has been repeatedly isolated. 6 , 2 , 3 It has been claimed that cellulase has only a slight effect on untreated cellulose but reacts vigorously with that which has been subjected to the action of some chemical, especially a copper ammonium salt. 7
The invertebrates 8 which digest cellulose are those capable of utilizing it as a food, such as certain Sarcodina, Mollusca, and Flagellata. No enzyme has been found in the vertebrates that will digest cellulose, but the process is apparently accomplished with the aid of intestinal bacteria. The opinion is commonly held that tissue responses to trauma, regardless of the presence or absence of infection, are unable to affect the integrity of cellulose.
Cellulose of cotton, linen, or artificial silk sutures has always been considered insoluble in the human tissues. 9 Such material has been found at the bottom of intestinal ulcers following operations. 10 , 11 , 12 Unimpaired linen sutures have been reported 120 days following their placement in dogs.
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