REACTIVITY OF THE GLYCOCALYX OF ENDOCARDITIS-PRODUCING VIRIDANS GROUPSTREPTOCOCCI

We correlated quantity of streptococcal polysaccharides and endocardit is production by those bacterial strains. To investigate this finding further, we studied the composition of the glycocalyx using a spectrop hotometric assay and lectin analysis of exopolysaccharides from endoca rditis- and non-endocarditis-producing strains of viridans streptococc i. Identical weights of glycocalyx from the clinical endocarditis isol ates produced significantly different absorbances as compared with the nonendocarditis isolates (P<0.0012, Wilcoxon rank test). Lectin-bindi ng experiments showed that endacarditis-producing streptococci contain ed increased amounts of glucose, galactose, sialic acid, and mannose. These data suggest that the glycocalyx of endacarditis-producing virid ans streptococci is both qualitatively and quantitatively different fr om non-endocarditis-producing isolates, These differences can be measu red in vitro.