Abstract:

In previous reports (1, 2) it has been shown that lysosomal enzymes derived from various populations of mammalian leukocytes failed to degrade 14C-Iabeled group A streptococci in vitro, On the other hand, Staphylococcus albus, Micrococcus Iysodeikticus and Escherichia coli were degraded to a large extent by leukocyte lysosomal enzymes. It was thus of interest to study the degradation of a variety of labeled microorganisms in vivo in inflammatory lesions in the thigh muscle of the mouse induced by the injection of heat-killed microorganisms. The results indicate that there may be a correlation between the degree of degradation of microorganisms by leukocyte lysates in vitro (1, 2) and the length of their persistence in lesion sites in vivo.