title: Distribution of capsular materials on the cell wall surface of strain Smith diffuse of Staphylococcus aureus.
abstract: The fine structure of the capsule of Staphylococcus aureus Smith diffuse was examined by the technique of freeze-substitution and immunoelectron microscopy. The cell surface was covered with a thick layer consisting of fine fibrous structures which were absent from an unencapsulated strain, Smith compact. Anti-teichoic acid antibody did not react with this surface layer but reacted with the surface of strain Smith compact. Anti-capsular antibody, made from the serum of a rabbit immunized with strain Smith diffuse and specific absorption with unencapsulated strain Wood 46, reacted with the fibrous layer of the Smith diffuse strain. Since the anti-teichoic acid antibody did not react with the encapsulated strain Smith diffuse, the capsular layer acts as a barrier to penetration of the anti-teichoic acid antibody through the capsular layer. A portion of a few cell surfaces of the encapsulated strain remained accessible to the anti-teichoic acid antibody. The capsular layer in this portion of the cell surface was thin, and this surface seemed to be a new cell wall surface created by the cell separation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bacteriology, Faculty of Medicine, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Arizono
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Umeda
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Amako
mesh_terms: D001422:Bacterial Adhesion; D002473:Cell Wall / Q000737:chemistry / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006801:Humans; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D016253:Microscopy, Immunoelectron; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000502:physiology; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000032:analysis / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D013682:Teichoic Acids / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial; D013682:Teichoic Acids