Influence of Host Age and DNA Precursors on Intracellular Staphylococci.

Abstract

8Hosr AGE ti DNA PRECURSORS ON STAPHYLOCOCCI liver are not able to remove the specific antibodies from the serum.Discussion. Homologous testes antisera contain antibodies that localize with the achrosome of the spermatid and the head of spermatozoa. This specific localization occurs in the testes of sensitized as well as unsensitized animals. I t would appear, therefore, that the autoantigen constituent of testes extracts resides in this cytological component. This finding confirms by fluorescent technics the suggestion of Freund et al. ( 1) and Katsh( 5 ) that aspermatogenic antigen may be a polysaccharide associated with the achrosome. The results are in agreement also with those of Baum(8) whose pictures indicate localization of fluorescence in the mature sperm but do not permit identification of specific cytological regions. The low grade fluorescence we observe in the albuguinea and blood vessel walls can be expected on the basis of previous experiments. I t has been shown that normal serum proteins deposit to a limited extent in the extra-vascular connective tissue structures ( 9 ) . Further evidence for the specificity of fluorescent localization in the spermatid achrosomes and sperm head is provided by the absorption experiments in which lyophylized guinea pig testes are effective in removing antibodies while liver and kidney extracts are not. The lack of correla-tion between circulatory levels of antibodies and morphologic damage to the testes is similar to the results reported by other investigators and points to the fact that much remains to be elucidated with respect to the mechanisrna of the immunological insult to the testes as well as the chemical identification of antigens involved in the induction of asperma t ogenesis.

Role of Serum in the Intracellular Killing of Staphylococci in Rabbit Monocytes

“…Coagulase-positive Staphylococcus aureus cells, after ingestion by both polymorphonuclear and mononuclear phagocytes, are more slowly and less completely rendered noncultivable than are other pyogenic cocci (1- 3,6,8,9,[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]). This relative refractoriness to intracellular killing in all probability is a significant factor in the tendency of staphylococcal infections to become chronic and recurrent.…”