273 

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753. TOPPER, Y. Jo and LIPTON, M. M. 



Biosynthesis of capsular streptococcal polysaccharide 



Federation Proc « ll(Pto I) 299, 1952 (Abstract) 



The specific activities of the capsular polysaccharide of hemo- 

 lytic streptococci. Group A, and of glucosamine derived from 

 it were studied after culture on a medium containing glucose- 

 ICl^. The isotope content of glucosamine and glucuronic acid 

 was the same, indicating a similar source for both. Glucose 

 appeared to be directly converted to glucosamine without 

 structural changes. When identical quantities of glucose- 

 IC-^^ were added to equimolar, non-isotopic glucosamine, glu- 

 curonic acid and glucosone, the polysaccharide was ten times 

 as radioactive as the glucosamine it contained, "'^'hese findings 

 indicate that free glucosamine is efficiently incorporated 

 into the bacterial polysaecha:Hl^e whereas this is not the case 

 for glucuronic acid." 



754. WDIDLE, W. P. 



Activities of certain bacterial polysaccharides (Symposium on 

 Bacterial pyrogens) 



Tr. New York Acad. Sc. I4:159'l6l, 1952 



The physiological activities and histologic changes which follow 

 the administration of highly purified non-protein bacterial 

 polysaccharides in humans and in animals are reviewed. Poly- 

 saccharide preparations derived from a Pseudomonas species 

 (PYROMEN)* and from Proteus vulgaris were used in these studies. 

 These polysaccharides are of low toxicity, the LD50 ^^ mice 

 being about 6o,000 micrograms. 



The present measure of activity, or 'minimal PYROMEN* response' 

 is a rise in the number of granular and nongranular circulating 

 leukocytes. This can be elicited in most human subjects by less 

 than O0O5 micrograms of PYROMEN* per kilogram of body weight, 

 given intravenously. Human subjects are more variable in 

 response to a given dose than laboratory animals; the latter 

 require nearly 10 times the minimal human dosage. The total 

 leukocyte count may rise 50 to 100 per cent above the initial 

 level during the peak of a minimal PYROMEN* response and it is 

 possible to obtain superimposed responses by administration of 

 similar amounts of the polysaccharide shortly after each peak 

 in leukocyte production has passed. A second type of response 

 has been noted in both human subjects and in animals; this is 

 characterized by a marked leukopenia initially, with a lesser 



*PIROMEN 



