Partial purification and properties of a haemolytic activity (T-lysin) from Aeromonas salmonicida

Abstract An extracellular haemolytic activity, produced by the fish pathogen Aeromonas salmonicida , against trout erythrocytes (T-lysin) was partially purified by ammonium sulphate precipitation and gel chromatography. Lysis of trout erythrocytes was found to be due to the combined activity of a caseinase and another factor, apparently membrane-associated, which when separated caused incomplete lysis. Incomplete lysis was also observed when caseinase production was suppressed by the incorporation of ammonium sulphate in the growth medium, or in caseinase-negative mutants. Inhibition of caseinase activity by phenyl methyl sulphonyl fluoride also resulted in the loss of full lytic potential from culture supernates containing T-lysin.