Search

Neutral DNA-ase acts as a general teratogen when given to young chicken blastoderms. The rate of the differents abnormalities varies according to the dose given and the embryos' stage. The frequency of the different defects reaches a maximum value with increasing doses it falls generally down with more important doses. DMSO added to the enzyme solution changes the susceptibility of the embryos.

Identification of Staphylococcus aureus in blood cultures by sero-inhibition nuclease test is described in this paper. No positive results were found in 392 Staphylococcus other than Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia. Only 0,8% Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia could not be detected. This sero-inhibition nuclease test provides a rapid, less than 3 hours, easy to perform, reliable method to identify Staphylococcus aureus in blood cultures. Results are obtained 24 hours earlier than the conventional methods.

Cyclic peptides from the deadly mushroom Amanita virosa has been separated by methanolic extraction and chromatography on Sephadex. Three groups of peptides have been obtained: virotoxins, amaninamide and phalloidin. Virotoxins has been separated in two fractions named virotoxins A and virotoxins B. We have studied the properties of these two fractions of F actin in vitro and on mice in vivo. Our results show that virotoxins A and B protect F actin in vitro against chaotropic ions, depolymerization by DNAse I or cytochalasin B and heat denaturation. Virotoxins A and B increase the rate of polymerization of F actin. Virotoxins A and B are toxic compounds which produce hemorrhagic necrosis of liver that have been observed in detail by electron microscopy. In general, our in vitro and in vivo results show that virotoxins exhibit the same effect as phalloidin on F actin.