Abstract:

Earlier reports had described the presence, in supernates of streptococcal steady-state cultures, of a macromolecular toxin which causes infiltrative and necrotic lesions in the heart and liver of rabbits and changes in the serum level of certain enzymes and lipids. In the present study, following treatment of the culture supernate concentrates with trichloroacetic acid and ethanol, and dialysis, material with these biologic activities has been found, in the dialysate, and was not excluded by Sephadex G-15. The molecular weight of the toxin, by this criterion, is near that of vitamin B12.