Extracellular and bacterial factors influencing staphylococcal phagocytosis and killing by XXXX polymorphonuclear leukocytes.

@entity1 @entity794 @entity5938
Extracellular and bacterial factors that influence the phagocytosis and killing of staphylococci by @entity1 polymorphonuclear leukocytes have been studied. @entity5938 strains were, in general, more rapidly phagocytized than were @entity794 strains. However, two strains of @entity5938 had a very slow rate of ingestion. Although the rate of phagocytosis of @entity794 Wood 46 was greater than that of @entity794 502A, the Wood 46 strain was more difficult to kill. Serum was essential for phagocytosis of both @entity794 and @entity5938 . The opsonic titer of pooled serum was similar for @entity794 and @entity5938 . In normal pooled serum, heat-labile factors were more important for effective phagocytosis than they were in immune serum. Although a saturation point for ingestion was reached, the percentage of ingested bacteria that remained alive within the leukocyte remained relatively fixed. Heat-killed and live staphylococci were igested in a similar fashion. The rate of phagocytosis was greatly reduced at 41 degrees C.
