AEM
Home Help [Feedback] [For Subscribers] [Archive] [Search] [Contents]
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Morton, H. E.
Right arrow Articles by Cohn, J.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by Morton, H. E.
Right arrow Articles by Cohn, J.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by Morton, H. E.
Right arrow Articles by Cohn, J.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Appl Environ Microbiol. 1972 April; 23(4): 725-733
Copyright © 1972 American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Coagulase and Deoxyribonuclease Activities of Staphylococci Isolated From Clinical Sources1

Harry E. Morton and Judith Cohn

a William Pepper Laboratory, Microbiology Division, Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104

ABSTRACT

A total of 504 clinical isolates of the family Micrococcaceae were tested for coagulase, deoxyribonuclease, clumping factor, and phosphatase to determine whether there is a correlation between the results of these tests and the pathogenicity of staphylococci. In the tests for coagulase production, it was found that either human or rabbit plasma could be used with broth cultures, whereas rabbit but not human plasma was satisfactory when microorganisms removed from solid culture medium were used. Deoxyribonuclease production correlated better than the fermentation of mannitol with coagulase production. The use of methyl green, Toluidine Blue O, or acridine orange offered no advantage over the use of HCl for detecting the production of deoxyribonuclease. Neither the presence of clumping factor nor the production of phosphatase correlated well with coagulase production. Strains of staphylococci that did not produce coagulase and deoxyribonuclease were isolated as frequently as, and from a greater variety of clinical sources than, strains which produced these substances. It is concluded that the production of coagulase and deoxyribonuclease are properties of staphylococci which are not necessarily indicative of potential pathogenicity of the organisms for man.

FOOTNOTES

1 Presented at the 71st Annual Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology, Minneapolis, Minn., 2-7 May 1971.

Appl Environ Microbiol. 1972 April; 23(4): 725-733
Copyright © 1972 American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.





Home Help [Feedback] [For Subscribers] [Archive] [Search] [Contents]
J. Bacteriol. Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. Eukaryot. Cell All ASM Journals

Copyright © 1972 by the American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.