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. 1971 Jun;3(6):762–767. doi: 10.1128/iai.3.6.762-767.1971

Antiphagocytic Effect of Slime from a Mucoid Strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Stephen Schwarzmann 1, John R Boring III 1
PMCID: PMC416234  PMID: 16558051

Abstract

Mucoid strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa produce a viscid slime when grown on the surface of agar media. These strains are known to colonize persistently the tracheobronchial tree of children with cystic fibrosis. Colonization may result from inhibition of phagocytosis due to slime produced by the organism. Slime separated from one mucoid strain was examined to determine whether it possessed antiphagocytic activity in vitro. Cells of P. aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus were rapidly phagocytized by rabbit polymorphonuclear leukocytes when mixtures were rotated for 2 hr at 37 C in the absence of slime. The addition of relatively small amounts of slime to bacteria and leukocytes inhibited phagocytosis as measured by phagocytic killing of the organisms. Inhibition was found to be most complete with P. aeruginosa.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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