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Studies on the Toxins of Shigella Dysenteriae (Shiga)

From the Department of Hygiene and Bacteriology, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Palestine

Abstract

1. The S-variant of Shigella dysenteriae (Bukarest strain) contains at least 2 toxic substances: a neurotoxin and an enterotoxin. It also contains a non-specific toxic substance found in other gram-negative bacteria.

2. The R-variant contains only the neurotoxin and the non-specific toxic substance.

3. The same toxins are found in washed bacteria as in the filtrates of liquid cultures.

4. The neurotoxin is completely destroyed by heating at 100 C for 30 minutes; the enterotoxin, by heating at 100 C for 2 hours; the non-specific toxins are heat-resistant.

5. From the egg medium of Olitsky and Kligler a fraction, "K", was separated which, when added to a peptone solution or to synthetic media, favors growth and the appearance of S-variants in R-cultures.

6. All toxins present in the bacterial bodies are demonstrable at approximately the same time in the filtrates of the culture. When the R-S variation takes place, the neurotoxin is demonstrable a week or more before the enterotoxin.

7. On synthetic media the R-variant of both strains tested shows stricter nutritive requirements than the S-variant; it is unable to use glucose in the absence of nicotinic acid or ammonium as source of nitrogen.

8. S-variants are derived from R-strains when large masses are seeded on simple media.

9. R-variants are obtained from S-strains when the latter are grown in the presence of S-antiserum.