Studies in the Relation of the Hemolytic Streptococcus to Rheumatic Fever

AFTER DISINTEGRATION BY SONIC VIBRATIONS THE CONTENTS OF THE HEMOLYTIC STREPTOCOCCUS CAN BE SEPARATED BY DIFFERENTIAL CENTRIFUGATION INTO THREE FRACTIONS: an insoluble residue, cytoplasmic particles, and a solution of proteins of smaller unit size. The residue (R) presumably comprises the cell walls of the bacteria and contains the type-specific M protein. The cytoplasmic particles (CP) contain some lipoid, the group-specific carbohydrate, and nucleoprotein of the ribose type. The supernate fraction (S) contains two components, presumably protein, at least one of which is part of a dissociable nucleoprotein of the desoxyribose type. Both CP and S precipitate and fix complement with antistreptococcal sera. Both give rise to antibodies on injection into rabbits. Both are of broad reactivity. CP and S can be shown to be serologically distinct by several means, including cross-absorption tests. On continued disintegration of the organism an inverse relation is noted between the yield of R and that of CP, whereas the yield of S is constant. A theory as to the structure of the streptococcal cell is offered in terms of the data presented.