Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Infection and Immunity logoLink to Infection and Immunity
. 1977 Jul;17(1):148–156. doi: 10.1128/iai.17.1.148-156.1977

Production of extracellular material by streptococci associated with subacute bacterial endocarditis.

D C Straus, S J Mattingly, T W Milligan
PMCID: PMC421095  PMID: 885611

Abstract

Six strains of viridans streptococci isolated from confirmed cases of subacute bacterial endocarditis were studied for production of extracellular material. All six strains, when grown to the exponential phase, produced exoproducts that had similar elution profiles on a G-100 Sephadex column. Since essential nutrients, such as amino acids, may be periodically growth limiting to streptococci in the fibrin-covered lesions on heart valves, the potential to elaborate extracellular protein and other material by streptococci that were deprived of essential amino acids was studied. Examination of supernatant fluids from cultures of Streptococcus MG intermedius deprived of glutamate and cystine revealed the presence of a complex mixture of extracellular materials in amounts comparable to those produced by normallly growing cells, Although only a slight (21 to 24%) increase in total protein occurred during amino acid deprivation of 12 h, the extracellular material contained numerous protein components, several of which demonstrated proteolytic activity. On a cell dry weight basis, the amino acid-deprived cells produced four-to eightfold more protease(s) than did exponential cells grown in complete medium. These results demonstrate that viridans streptococci are capable of elaborating potentially damaging compounds even when their multiplication has been arrested by nutritional deprivation.

Full text

PDF
148

Images in this article

152Image
on p.152

Selected References

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

  1. ANGRIST A. A., OKA M. Pathogenesis of bacterial endocarditis. JAMA. 1963 Jan 26;183:249–252. doi: 10.1001/jama.1963.63700040009010b. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Cowman R. A., Perrella M. M., Fitzgerald R. J. Caseinolytic and glyoprotein hydrolase activity of Streptococcus mutans. J Dent Res. 1976 May-Jun;55(3):391–399. doi: 10.1177/00220345760550031701. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Durack D. T., Beeson P. B. Experimental bacterial endocarditis. I. Colonization of a sterile vegetation. Br J Exp Pathol. 1972 Feb;53(1):44–49. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Durack D. T., Beeson P. B. Experimental bacterial endocarditis. II. Survival of a bacteria in endocardial vegetations. Br J Exp Pathol. 1972 Feb;53(1):50–53. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Gould K., Ramirez-Ronda C. H., Holmes R. K., Sanford J. P. Adherence of bacteria to heart valves in vitro. J Clin Invest. 1975 Dec;56(6):1364–1370. doi: 10.1172/JCI108216. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Hook E. W., 3rd, Sande M. A. Role of the vegetation in experimental Streptococcus viridans endocarditis. Infect Immun. 1974 Dec;10(6):1433–1438. doi: 10.1128/iai.10.6.1433-1438.1974. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Joseph R., Shockman G. D. Synthesis and excretion of glycerol teichoic acid during growth of two streptococcal species. Infect Immun. 1975 Aug;12(2):333–338. doi: 10.1128/iai.12.2.333-338.1975. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. LOWRY O. H., ROSEBROUGH N. J., FARR A. L., RANDALL R. J. Protein measurement with the Folin phenol reagent. J Biol Chem. 1951 Nov;193(1):265–275. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Lerner P. I., Weinstein L. Infective endocarditis in the antibiotic era. N Engl J Med. 1966 Jan 27;274(4):199–contd. doi: 10.1056/NEJM196601272740407. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Lin Y., Means G. E., Feeney R. E. The action of proteolytic enzymes on N,N-dimethyl proteins. Basis for a microassay for proteolytic enzymes. J Biol Chem. 1969 Feb 10;244(3):789–793. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Müller H. E. Neuraminidase activity in Streptococcus sanguis and in the viridans group, and occurrence of acylneuraminate lyase in viridans organisms isolated from patients with septicemia. Infect Immun. 1974 Feb;9(2):323–328. doi: 10.1128/iai.9.2.323-328.1974. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Roth G. S., Shockman G. D., Daneo-Moore L. Balanced macromolecular biosynthesis in "protoplasts" of Streptococcus faecalis. J Bacteriol. 1971 Mar;105(3):710–717. doi: 10.1128/jb.105.3.710-717.1971. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Sayare M., Daneo-Moore L., Shockman G. D. Influence of macromolecular biosynthesis on cellular autolysis in Streptococcus faecalis. J Bacteriol. 1972 Oct;112(1):337–344. doi: 10.1128/jb.112.1.337-344.1972. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Shockman G. D., Daneo-Moore L., Higgins M. L. Problems of cell wall and membrane growth, enlargement, and division. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1974 May 10;235(0):161–197. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1974.tb43265.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Shockman G. D. Symposium on the fine structure and replication of bacteria and their parts. IV. Unbalanced cell-wall synthesis: autolysis and cell-wall thickening. Bacteriol Rev. 1965 Sep;29(3):345–358. doi: 10.1128/br.29.3.345-358.1965. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Terleckyj B., Willett N. P., Shockman G. D. Growth of several cariogenic strains of oral streptococci in a chemically defined medium. Infect Immun. 1975 Apr;11(4):649–655. doi: 10.1128/iai.11.4.649-655.1975. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Tompsett R. Bacterial endocarditis. Changes in the clinical spectrum. Arch Intern Med. 1967 Apr;119(4):329–332. doi: 10.1001/archinte.119.4.329. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. WALLACH J. B., LUKASH L., ANGRIST A. A. Mechanism of death in rheumatic heart disease in different age periods. Am J Clin Pathol. 1956 Apr;26(4):360–367. doi: 10.1093/ajcp/26.4.360. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. WEINSTEIN L., DAIKOS G. K., PERRIN T. S. Studies on the relationship of tissue fluid and blood levels of penicillin. J Lab Clin Med. 1951 Nov;38(5):712–718. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Weinstein L., Rubin R. H. Infective endocarditis--1973. Prog Cardiovasc Dis. 1973 Nov-Dec;16(3):239–274. doi: 10.1016/s0033-0620(73)80001-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Weinstein L., Schlesinger J. J. Pathoanatomic, pathophysiologic and clinical correlations in endocarditis (first of two parts). N Engl J Med. 1974 Oct 17;291(16):832–837. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197410172911609. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. van Houte J., Saxton C. A. Cell wall thickening and intracellular polysaccharide in microorganisms of the dental plaque. Caries Res. 1971;5(1):30–43. doi: 10.1159/000259730. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Infection and Immunity are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES