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. 1973 Dec;8(6):952–961. doi: 10.1128/iai.8.6.952-961.1973

Filamentous Capsulated Streptococci from the Human Respiratory Tract I. Antigenic Attributes of Provisional Capsular Type 83 and Its Relationship to Streptococci of So-Called Group M

Walter W Karakawa 1, Judith A Kane 1, Carol Buettger 1, Robert Austrian 1
PMCID: PMC422956  PMID: 4150384

Abstract

Two immunologically reactive polysaccharides have been isolated from the cell walls and from culture filtrates of a filamentous alpha-hemolytic streptococcus provisionally designated capsular type 83. Both polysaccharides were purified by diethylaminoethyl-cellulose chromatography. Analysis indicates that the capsular polysaccharide consists of galactose and phosphorus, whereas the cell wall polysaccharide contains galactosamine, glucosamine, glucose, and phosphorus. On the basis of immunochemical experiments, it is suggested that the capsular polysaccharide is composed of galactose-phosphate units with terminal galactose residues at the nonreducing end. It has also been found that the capsular antigen of streptococcus type 83 is shared by a number of streptococcal strains classified in Lancefield's group M. The cell wall polysaccharide of streptococcus type 83 cross-reacts with antibody to the Cs, or cell wall-like capsular, polysaccharide of Diplococcus pneumoniae, and this cross-reactivity may be a reflection that the streptococcal antigen possesses certain structural features which are similar to those of pneumococcal C and Cs polysaccharides.

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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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