THE CARBOHYDRATES OF GONOCOCCUS AND MENINGOCOCCUS

Abstract

The alcohol-insoluble polysaccharides of gonococcus and meningococcus were found to contain 4.2 and 3.7 per cent nitrogen respectively, to be protein-free by chemical test, to reduce FehIing-Benedict solution only after hydrolysis. They were non-toxic for rabbits and mice, and failed to engender antibodies (precipitins) in rabbits. They produced no cutaneous reactions in normal, snuffle-free rabbits, but caused typical allergic reactions of the delayed type in rabbits rendered hypersensitive to these organisms. Both carbohydrates reacted in high dilution with Antipneumococcus Serum Type III. For comparison, carbohydrates were prepared also from Micrococcus catarrhalis, Streptococcus hemolyticus, Staphylococcus aureus, and a rough strain of pneumococcus.