STUDIES ON OXIDATION AND REDUCTION BY PNEUMOCOCCUS

Sterile filtrates of autolyzed anaerobic cultures of Pneumococcus contain much higher concentrations of active endocellular enzymes than do the filtrates of autolyzed aerobic cultures. These differences in the enzyme activity of the filtrates of aerobic and anaerobic cultures may be explained by a destruction of the formed enzymes by oxidation reactions analogous to the destruction previously observed during the oxidation of sterile broth extracts of unwashed pneumococcus cells. The occurrence of more complete destruction of enzyme activity in autolyzed aerobic cultures than in "oxidized" sterile cell extracts is probably due to the longer exposure to oxidation products.