The Isolation and Characterization of a Hyaluronidase Produced by a Capsulated Strain of Group C Streptococcus

SUMMARY: A hyaluronidase preparation was isolated by the methods of protein precipitation from the culture fluid of a capsulated group C streptococcus cultivated in a serum-free medium. The preparation was active in the mucin clot prevention and turbidimetric tests for hyaluronidase and rapidly destroyed the capsules of group,4 and group C streptococci. The enzyme resembled other streptococcal hyaluronidases in its reaction to pH changes but differed from these both in its thermolability and antigenic specificity. Hyaluronidase activity in cultures of capsulated or hyaluronic acid producing streptococci has previously been detected only by prolonged incubation of these cultures, or their filtrates or supernatants, with hyaluronic acid (Pike