140 TOXINES AND ANTITOXINES. 



lysine formed varies with the different species, as does also 

 the period of time at which the maximum production occurs. 

 According to LUBENAU l this fluctuates considerably within 

 a few hours. The addition of glucose to the cultivations reduces 

 the yield of lysine (KAYSER 2 ). 



Staphylolysine answers the requirements of the true toxines 

 as regards the influence of external factors. While it can 

 generally be kept for a long period unaltered in an ice chest 

 (with the addition of phenol) it is destroyed in twenty minutes 

 at 56 C., is injured at 48 C., and even when kept in an 

 incubating chamber loses its activity within a few weeks. 



It can resist the action of considerable quantities of alkalies, 

 acids, and ordinary salt ; but strong alkalinity, especially at the 

 incubation temperature, is injurious. 



The blood-corpuscles of different animals vary considerably 

 with regard to their susceptibility towards the same lysine ; the 

 erythrocytes of the rabbit appear to be the most susceptible, 

 while those of man, of the goat, and, above all, of the goose, offer 

 much greater resistance. A still further complication is intro- 

 duced into the conditions by the fact that the normal serum of 

 most species of animals exercises a more or less pronounced 

 protective action against the lysine, so that in order to obtain 

 comparable results, it is necessary to use washed blood-corpuscles. 

 Rabbit's blood, apart from its special susceptibility, is also the 

 best medium for the test, owing to the fact that normal rabbit's 

 serum has only a very insignificant protective capacity. Even 

 with the same blood it is possible, as in the case of tetanolysine, 

 to demonstrate differences in the susceptibility of the erythro- 

 cytes, so that even weak solutions of lysine dissolve certain blood- 

 corpuscles, whereas considerably stronger solutions must be 

 employed to obtain complete solution. 



ANTISTAPHYLOLYSINE. 



The protective force exerted by certain normal sera in varying 

 degree against the action of staphylolysine must be attributed to 

 the presence of a specific anti-body whose activity is exclusively 

 directed against staphylolysine. Normal horse serum, in par- 

 ticular, is sometimes so rich in it that as little as O'Ol c.c. will 

 afford protection against a dose of staphylolysine that would 

 otherwise dissolve the corpuscles en masse. 



1 Lubenau, " Hamolytische Fahigkeit einiger pathogener Schizomyceten," 

 Centralbl.f. Sakt., xxx., 356, 1901. 



2 Kayser, "Einw. d. Traubenzuckers auf Staphylococcus," Zeit. f. Hyg. t 

 xl., 21, 1902. 



