Staphylocoagulation in Plasmas of Various Animal Species.

Abstract

Certain staphylococcal cultures contain a product (prostaphylocoagulase) which reacts with a plasma "cofactor" (particularly associated with the albumin fraction) to produce a staphylocoagulation phenomenon, which is quite independent of the ordinary thrombic clotting mechanism. Expts. on rabbit, human, chicken, guinea pig, dog, horse, and bovine plasmas demonstrate marked species differences in reactivity to the staphylococcal product. These differences are analyzable in terms of (1) lesser amts. of cofactor, e.g., human, horse, bovine (as compared with rabbit); (2) excess of inhibitor(s) in part at least directed against active staphylocoagulase, e.g., rat, chicken; (3) interfering effects of staphylokinase-protease (proteolytic) system, e.g., guinea pig, dog. The quantitative evaluation of staphylocoagulation times must take cognizance of variability not only in the bacterial factor but even more significantly, in the various plasma factors and their species variations.