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Infect Immun. 1971 December; 4(6): 709-714
Copyright © 1971 American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Serum Factors and the Reticuloendothelial Uptake of Staphylococcus aureus II. Role of a Zymosan-Adsorbable Serum Opsonin

George Hunter Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37203

ABSTRACT

A heat-stable factor in the serum of normal rabbits adsorbed by zymosan at 16 C in the presence of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid has been found to enhance the uptake of an encapsulated strain of Staphylococcus aureus (Smith diffuse) by the isolated perfused rabbit liver. This opsonin does not appear to be a rate-limiting component of the hemolytic complement system, properdin, immunoglobulins G or M. It does, however, require the presence of a heat-labile cofactor(s) for expression of its activity.