The spent seawater medium of 4-day-old-cultures of the filamentous marine fungus Leptosphaeria albopunctata had a high viscosity after the fungus was collected by high-speed centrifugation. Microscopic examination of uncentrifuged mycelium suspended in India ink revealed that the viscosity resulted from capsular material. These capsules became disassociated from the mycelium during centrifugati...

We report the results from the first international multicenter external quality assessment (EQA) studies for molecular and serological typing of group B streptococcus (GBS) strains as part of DEVANI (Design of a Vaccine against Neonatal Infections), a pan-European program. A questionnaire-based surveillance was undertaken among eight laboratories participating in DEVANI and six laboratories not...

The present paper deals with reactions between antiserums and the capsules of Torula histolytica (Cryptococcus hominis or Torulopsis neoformans) and of Sporotrichum schenckii. The reactions, although similar in principle to the capsular swelling seen in Quellung tests of bacteria, present a special interest because the microorganisms are larger in size and more complex in structure than bacteri...

The protective efficacy of antibodies to the Staphylococcus aureus type 5 capsular polysaccharide (CP5) was examined in a modified model of catheter-induced endocarditis. Rats were catheterized by surgically passing a polyethylene catheter through the right carotid artery and aortic valve into the left ventricle. The following day, the rats were injected by the intraperitoneal (i.p.) route with...

The capsular polysaccharide of Diplococctw pneumoniae Type XII contains residues of D-glucose and D-galactose in a molar ratio of 2:l. The methylated polysaccharide yielded upon hydrolysis 2,3,4,6-tetraand 3,4,6-tri-O-methyl-D-glucose and 2,3,4,6-tetra-0-methyl-D-galactose as the only neutral methyl sugars. Periodate oxidation of the polysaccharide resulted in destruction of all neutral sugars ...

A native outer membrane vesicles (NOMV) vaccine was developed from three antigenically diverse strains of Neisseria meningitidis that express the L1,8, L2, and L3,7 lipooligosaccharide (LOS) immunotypes, and whose synX, and lpxL1 genes were deleted.. Immunogenicity studies in mice showed that the vaccine induced bactericidal antibody against serogroups B, C, W, Y and X N. meningitidis strains. ...

The age-related acquisition of serum anticapsular and bactericidal antibodies to Haemophilus influenzae type b observed in rats was similar to that of humans. The antigenic source for this "natural" immunity was not identified, since neither pharyngeal infection with H. influenzae b nor enteric colonization by cross-reacting bacteria was detected. Infant rats surviving H. influenzae b bacteremi...

Pyruvic acid is an immunological determinant of the quite rigorously type-specific capsular polysaccharide of pneumococcal type IV (S IV). Removal of pyruvic acid by mild hydrolysis converts the capsular polysaccharide of type IV into an analog of the pneumococcal group-specific C-substance. Depyruvylated S IV resembles C-substance so closely immunologically that it not only precipitates a high...

The polysaccharide capsule of the fungus Cryptococcus neoformans is its main virulence factor. In this study, we determined the effects of mannitol and glucose on the capsule and exopolysaccharide production. Growth in mannitol significantly increased capsular volume compared with cultivation in glucose. However, cells grown in glucose concentrations higher than 62.5 mM produced more exopolysac...

Pathogens reduce immune recognition of their cell surfaces using a variety of inert structural polysaccharides. For example, capsular polysaccharides play critical roles in microbial survival strategies. Capsules are widely distributed among bacterial species, but relatively rare in eukaryotic microorganisms, where they have evolved considerable complexity in structure and regulation and are ex...