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Appl Environ Microbiol. 1971 November; 22(5): 748-751
Copyright © 1971 American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Application of Enzyme Production Properties in Subtyping of Group A Streptococci According to T Type

Streptococcal Reference Laboratory, District Public Health Laboratory, Ministry of Health, Jerusalem, Israel
Laboratory for Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Dental Medicine, The Hebrew University Alpha Omega Research and Postgraduate Center, Jerusalem, Israel

ABSTRACT

The production of extracellular nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide glycohydrolase (NADG) and the cell-bound lipoproteinase (serum opacity reaction, SOR) by strains of different serological types of group A streptococci, in relation to the T typing, was studied. The production of both NADG and SOR, or only one of them, was found to be characteristic of serotypes, as determined by M and T antigen. No difference in the production of these enzymes was found in relation to M-positive and M-negative variants. Investigation into NADG and SOR production as related to the T type enabled the division of a single agglutination pattern into four main groups, each of which corresponds to one specific M type or more. Of the 370 strains belonging to 12 different T-agglutination patterns, 21% produced both enzymes and 42.5% failed to produce any of them, whereas the remaining 36.5% produced only one out of the two enzymes. Five streptococcal types which did not produce NADG and SOR also failed to synthesize streptolysin S at the early logarithmic phase of growth, indicating that streptolysin S production by young cultures may be also related to serotype. No correlation was found between the production of NADG-SOR as related to serotype and the production of streptolysin O, acid phosphotase, esterase, N-acetylglucosaminidase, hyaluronidase, streptokinase, and the cell-sensitizing factor. The practical and potential usefulness of NADG and SOR production in epidemiological studies is discussed.