This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Low, I. E. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Low, I. E.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Infect Immun. 1971 January; 3(1): 80-86
Copyright © 1971 American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Effect of Medium on H₂O₂ Levels and Peroxidase-Like Activity by Mycoplasma pneumoniae

¹ Department of Bacteriology and Immunology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115

ABSTRACT

H₂O₂ levels accumulated by Mycoplasma pneumoniae can be influenced by carbon source, different horse sera, yeast extract, thallium acetate, or growth in a simplified, dialyzed medium. Thus, increased levels of H₂O₂ were detected by growth in glycerol, by omission of thallium acetate, and by the use of dialyzed medium. The ability of M. pneumoniae in the presence of glucose, but not with fructose, mannose, or glycerol, to remove both endogenous and exogenous H₂O₂ suggests an inducible peroxidase similar to bacterial enzymes in streptococci. This peroxidase-like activity is in turn influenced by the complex interplay of medium components, explaining perhaps some of the variability of H₂O₂ accumulations observed with glucose. A survival value has been suggested for this "peroxidase-like" activity.