Staple viscose fibres, of a type commonly used in wound-dressing materials, were treated with a celJuJase complex isolated from Geotricum candidum. Adsorption of cellulase onto the fibre and rates of cellulolytic hydrolysis were measured under the applied-treatment conditions. Changes in fibre properties were measured in terms of their speciHc surface area accessible to N^ and cellulases and in terms of their mean pore radius, moisture regain, degree of swelling, and teasile strength. In particular, it was found that the sorption of Staphylococcus aureus cells from a bacterial suspension increased to 90% for the cellulase-treated Tibres compared with only 2% for the untreated fibres. Cellulase treatment is therefore recommended as a means of increasing the sorption properties of cellulosic wound dres,sings.

Conditions were found for separating concomitant substances from cellulose in short flax fibers by treatment with surfactant and enzyme solutions. The chemical composition of the treated fibers was analyzed, and their structural organization was studied by IR Fourier spectroscopy.

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