Staphylococcal Fibrinolysis. ∗

Abstract

Conclusions

The data clearly indicate the separability of the coagulative and lyticaiding properties associated with staphylococci. Other current experiments suggest that the proportions of prostaphylocoagulase and staphylokinase in the alcohol-precipitated product vary with the strain of micro-organism. Since staphylocoagulation is produced by prostaphylocoagulase plus a plasma co-factor other than prothrombin (our citration technic gives extra assurance of this), the use of the term “staphylokinase” by Much, 6 to indicate an action like thrombokinase (or thromboplastin), is not correct. We propose the term prostaphylocoagulase for this factor, and retain the term, staphylokinase for the second factor, which acts like streptokinase. In a previous publication 5 we cited recent work which proves that the streptococcal factor does not act as a proteolytic enzyme in its own right (cf. 7 ), but merely serves as a kinase activator for the precursor of plasma protease (tryptogen or plasminogen). Similarly, the older work (e.g. 8 ), attributing a protease to staphylococci, must be revised in the light of the data in this present study. We are obviously again dealing with a tryptokinase 9 or activator of plasma protease. It may be recalled that crystalline pancreatic trypsinogen is activated to trypsin by a mold kinase. 10