| Abstract: | In this work the results of research on the influence of iron cations on the characteristics of the infectious process caused by different enterobacteria (Shigella sonnei, Shigella flexneri, Escherichia coli) are analyzed. In the experimental intraperitoneal infection of mice in the presence of saccharose and iron cations S. sonnei in phase I showed the decrease of 1g LD50 by 3-4 orders, while S. flexneri in the S-form, by not more than 1 order. The absence of correlation between the virulence of the Shigella species used for comparison, as determined in the keratoconjunctival test, and their behavior in vitro in the presence of iron was revealed. E. coli reference strains synthetizing (according to the nomenclature of I. Orskov et al.) "true" K-antigens (K1, K10) or "not true" ones (K8, K9, K27, K57) also showed different virulence in the experimental infection used in this research: the behavior of the former group corresponded to that of S. sonnei in phase I, the latter group occupied the intermediate position between the former group and S. sonnei on one hand and S. flexneri on the other hand. The sharp drop of 1g LD50 after the injection of S. sonnei in phase I in combination with iron cations can be attributed to differences in the characteristics of bacterial surface structures with antiphagocytic function and indicates that the species-specific antigen of S. sonnei in phase I should be classified with K-antigens. The experimental intraperitoneal infection of mice in the presence of trivalent iron cations can be used for making a tentative judgement on the presence of K-antigens in enterobacteria. |
