Respiration of Typhus Rickettsiae

Partially purified suspensions of typhus rickettsiae have been shown to exhibit metabolic activity as evidenced by consumption of oxygen and production of carbon dioxide in the presence of glutamate. Similar activity at a much lower rate occurs in the presence of pyruvate. The rate of oxygen uptake was directly proportional to the concentration of viable rickettsiae, as estimated by their toxicity for mice. Normal yolk sac suspensions prepared in the same manner showed only a very slight oxygen uptake under the same conditions. Glucose was not metabolized by the rickettsial suspensions.