DIGESTION OF STAPHYLOCOCCAL-ENTEROTOXIN BY BACILLUS-NATTO

Cooked rice contaminated with staphylococcal enterotoxin A (SEA) was m ixed with 'natto', a Bacillus natto fermented soybean food, and the mi xture was incubated at 37 degrees C for 1 h. Reversed passive latex ag glutination (RPLA) tests performed on the mixture revealed that the RP LA titer against SEA was significantly reduced after incubation. Subse quent analytical tests showed that the SEA protein molecule was fragme nted to small peptides by an extracellular protease, subtilisin, produ ced by B. natto. The proteolytic activity of B. natto was also found t o be effective against ohter types of staphylococcal enterotoxins.