Hemolysis and Hemagglutination by Normal and Immune Serums of Erythrocytes Treated with a Nonspecies Specific Bacterial Substance

In the course of this investigation a substance was discovered in broth culture filtrates of group A hemolytic streptococci which prepared erythrocytes for hemolysis or agglutination in the presence of certain human serums. Subsequent study revealed that a similar material was present in filtrates obtained from other gram positive, but not gram negative, organisms. A preliminary report of these observations has been made.2 This paper describes in greater detail the properties of this nonspecies specific substance which is hereafter called "NSS." MATERIALS AND METHODS