病原ブドウ球菌感染動物組織内における Lysozyme 活性の研究

Abstract

For the purpose of evaluating various procedures hitherto available for the assay of lysozyme activity, a preliminary study was made using staphylococcus aureus, strain 131-1 as source of the enzyme. The substrate organism for the enzyme assay was micrococcus lysodeikticus ATCC 4698 strain. Cells of this organism were grown on H. I. broth medium with 0.5% glucose supplement and finally suspended in saline solution. These cells were exposed to the crude supernatant of H. I. broth culture in which the staphylococci were grown. Lysis of the substrate organism, micrococcus lysodeikticus, by the action of lysozyme from staphylococcus organisms was measured by turbidmetry. The experimental animals were inoculated with the pathogenic staphylococci and lysozyme activity in the infected tissues was measured at successive intervals. At the same time, counts were made of the viable cells recovered from the infected tissues and progress of inflammation at the infected foci was also recorded. Results of the study were summarized as follows. 1) The tissue extract from staphylococcal infections proved to contain much more substance capable to dissolve the cells of micrococcus lysodeikticus than did the extract from normal control tissues. 2) The viable cell counts obtained from kidney in successive days after the animals were inoculated with the pathogenic staphylococci by way of caudal vein, proved to go parallel with the level of lysozyme activity measured in the same organ. This was most markedly observed with kidney followed by spleen and liver. 3) When the pathogenic staphylococci were inoculated subcutaneously on the animals, progress of cutaneous inflammation as recorded in successive days went in close parallel with the lysozyme activity found there. 4) The degree of proliferation of pathogenic bacteria in the infected tissues and the progress of inflammation in the skin could be measured indirectly by assaying the lysozyme activity found in the respective site of lesion.