120
A. SARAGEA ET AL.
dextrin, starch, and glycogen. Some strains resemble the C. diphtheriae
type intermedius (Jebb and Martin, 1965; Maximescu et al., 1974a).
A characteristic feature, to be emphasised, is the fermentation of
trehalose, which is split very slowly (up to 16 days). Cystine and urea are
rapidly split. The phosphatase reaction is positive within 24 h. Gelatin is
liquefied in stab cultures within 10 days at room temperature. Nitrate
reductase is not present in C. ulcerans.
(e) Pathogenicity. C. ulcerans possesses its own toxin, supplemented in
some strains by a diphtherial toxin (Di-tox-).
The whole broth culture of a Di-tox- strain inoculated subcutaneously is
lethal within a few days for the guinea pig. The post mortem findings are
as follows: an intense gelatinous and haemorrhagic oedema at the site of
inoculation. Pleural and peritoneal exudates without lesions in the adrenals.
All these phenomena are not prevented by diphtheria antitoxin.
By intradermal inoculation in rabbits, severe necrosis and ulcers of the
skin occur.
Suppurative lesions are induced in white mice. When endowed with
diphtherial toxin, subcutaneously inoculated culture filtrates produce
death in about 24-48 h, with lesions characteristic of diphtheria intoxication. These may be prevented by diphtherial antitoxin.
In tissue cultures and Elek-Ouchterlony plates, these strains produce
reactions similar to those of toxf C. diphtheriae strains.
(f) Bacteriocins described by Meitert (1969b).
5. Phage-bacterial host relationships in C. ulcerans
(a) General. Thorough studies on its taxonomic position indicate that
C. ulcerans is somewhat intermediate between C. diphtheriae and C. ovis
(Barrat, 1933; Jebb, 1948; Rountree and Carne, 1967; Carne, 1968).
Further investigations on the phage-bacterial host relationships and their
relations with toxinogenicity in these species, performed by Maximescu
et al. (1968) led to exciting findings on diphtherial toxin production.
Repeated investigations showed that each of the two species, C. ulceram
and C. ovis, when experimentally lysogenised with diphtherial phages,
produced besides their species-specific toxin, another one which is biologically and immunologically identical to the C. diphtheriae exotoxin.
(b) Phage typing in C. ulcerans and C. ovis. From the previously described
research a question arose: to what extent are C. ulcerans and C . ovis
biologically related to each other and to C. diphtheriae? Thus, further
studies on the phage-bacterial host relationships in C. diphtheriae, C.
A. SARAGEA ET AL.
dextrin, starch, and glycogen. Some strains resemble the C. diphtheriae
type intermedius (Jebb and Martin, 1965; Maximescu et al., 1974a).
A characteristic feature, to be emphasised, is the fermentation of
trehalose, which is split very slowly (up to 16 days). Cystine and urea are
rapidly split. The phosphatase reaction is positive within 24 h. Gelatin is
liquefied in stab cultures within 10 days at room temperature. Nitrate
reductase is not present in C. ulcerans.
(e) Pathogenicity. C. ulcerans possesses its own toxin, supplemented in
some strains by a diphtherial toxin (Di-tox-).
The whole broth culture of a Di-tox- strain inoculated subcutaneously is
lethal within a few days for the guinea pig. The post mortem findings are
as follows: an intense gelatinous and haemorrhagic oedema at the site of
inoculation. Pleural and peritoneal exudates without lesions in the adrenals.
All these phenomena are not prevented by diphtheria antitoxin.
By intradermal inoculation in rabbits, severe necrosis and ulcers of the
skin occur.
Suppurative lesions are induced in white mice. When endowed with
diphtherial toxin, subcutaneously inoculated culture filtrates produce
death in about 24-48 h, with lesions characteristic of diphtheria intoxication. These may be prevented by diphtherial antitoxin.
In tissue cultures and Elek-Ouchterlony plates, these strains produce
reactions similar to those of toxf C. diphtheriae strains.
(f) Bacteriocins described by Meitert (1969b).
5. Phage-bacterial host relationships in C. ulcerans
(a) General. Thorough studies on its taxonomic position indicate that
C. ulcerans is somewhat intermediate between C. diphtheriae and C. ovis
(Barrat, 1933; Jebb, 1948; Rountree and Carne, 1967; Carne, 1968).
Further investigations on the phage-bacterial host relationships and their
relations with toxinogenicity in these species, performed by Maximescu
et al. (1968) led to exciting findings on diphtherial toxin production.
Repeated investigations showed that each of the two species, C. ulceram
and C. ovis, when experimentally lysogenised with diphtherial phages,
produced besides their species-specific toxin, another one which is biologically and immunologically identical to the C. diphtheriae exotoxin.
(b) Phage typing in C. ulcerans and C. ovis. From the previously described
research a question arose: to what extent are C. ulcerans and C . ovis
biologically related to each other and to C. diphtheriae? Thus, further
studies on the phage-bacterial host relationships in C. diphtheriae, C.