Studies on the properties of a polysaccharide constituent produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

It has been reported that a polysaccharide extracted from Pseudomonas aeruginosa is depolymerized by bovine testicular hyaluronidase (Warren and Gray, 1954). In the course of studies dealing with the effect of hyaluronidase on the cell structure of the organism, it was noted that buffered suspensions of P. aeruginosa released appreciable amounts of the polysaccharide in the supernatant fluid when the cells were incubated at 37 C for one hour. In addition, the rate of sedimentation of the cells following centrifugation was directly related to the concentration of hyaluronidase added to the bacterial suspension. Although the relationship between the hyaluronidase-sensitive polysaccharide and the cell itself was not clear, preliminary observations suggested that large amounts of the polysaccharide were weakly bound to the surface of the bacterial cell. The present investigations were undertaken to study some of the properties of the hyaluronidase-sensitive polysaccharide of P. aeruginosa. Observations were made also on the effect of hyaluronidase on the cell structure of the organism.