AEROBIC RESPIRATORY METABOLISM OF STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS FROM AN INFECTED ANIMAL

Abstract

Gellenbeck, S. Mercy (Catholic University, Washington, D. C.). Aerobic respiratory metabolism of Staphylococcus aureus from an infected animal. J. Bacteriol. 83: 450–455. 1962.—The separation of Staphylococcus aureus from the tissue fluids of an infected guinea pig has allowed a comparison of cells (GPR) separated in this manner with the same strain (PR847) grown on an artificial medium. In general, the respiratory response of organisms separated from tissue fluid was higher than that of staphylococci grown in vitro, though endogenous respiration of the in vitro strain consistently averaged 50% higher than the GPR cells. The guinea pig serum, defined medium, Trypticase soy broth, and the guinea pig filtrate were the complex substrates, listed in order of the least to the most stimulatory. Omission of nicotinamide and thiamine from the defined medium resulted in a decrease of oxygen consumption for the PR847 strain, but not for the GPR cells; however, when several amino acids were eliminated from the defined medium, the oxygen uptake of the GPR cells was depressed more than that of the staphylococci grown in vitro. In glucose alone, the organisms separated from the tissue fluid respired over 30% more effectively than the in vitro staphylococci. The filtrate, whether whole or boiled, provided a substrate in which organisms from both sources approximately doubled their oxygen uptake over that of either whole or boiled serum. Soluble components of the 50% ammonium sulfate fractionation of the filtrate stimulated GPR and PR847 cells more than did the 100% ammonium sulfate fraction under the conditions employed.