Streptococcal Infections, Rheumatic Fever, Nephritis and Staphylococcal Infections

摘要

A problem in operation wounds is that the patient may harbor staphylococci. The first problem was to determine the role of the carrier patient in wound infections. Preliminary data suggest that 50% of wounds are colonized by strains from the patient, and that the risk of being colonized is twice as great in carriers as in non-carriers. The fate of streptococcal cell walls, heat killed whole cells, and E. coli C14 labeled cells in vivo have been studied. In liver, mitochrondrial fraction contains most of the activity. That the tissue cells such as macrophages contain cell walls was shown by specific enzyme studies. The studies on the conversion of group A streptococci to L forms suggest that the reticuloendothelial system influences the rate of conversion. Blockade with thorotrast reduces the production of L forms in mice. Lysosomal extracts of liver appear to assist in the conversion to L forms in vitro. (Author)