title: Platelet aggregation by strains of enterococci.
abstract: The platelet aggregation capability of whole cells of Enterococcus faecalis, E. faecium and E. avium was tested. The optimum ratios of bacteria to platelets in E. faecalis (strain SMU-37), E. faecium (strain SMU-138) and E. avium (strain SMU-197) were 1.0, 1.2 and 2.0, respectively. During the platelet aggregation induced by the three strains of enterococci, 65-69% of total serotonin was released. The aggregation was totally inhibited by ethylenediaminetetraacetate (10 mM) and apyrase (1 mg/ml), while no effect was shown by aspirin (10 mM), indomethacin (10 mM) and quinacrine (1 mM). By pretreatment of platelet-poor plasma with heat (56 C, 30 min) or zymosan, the reactivities with platelets of each strain of species were markedly diminished. These results suggest that enterococci-induced platelet aggregation was an ion-dependent, cyclooxygenase-insensitive event, and plasma component(s) was (were) required for the reaction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, St. Marianna University School of Medicine, Kanagawa, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Usui
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ichiman
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Suganuma
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yoshida
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016718:Arachidonic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D016983:Enterococcus / Q000502:physiology*; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D010949:Plasma / Q000502:physiology; D010974:Platelet Aggregation / Q000502:physiology*; D011817:Rabbits
chemical_list: D016718:Arachidonic Acid