THE NUTRITIONAL REQUIREMENTS OF TREPONEMATA V. A

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Abstract
Crystalline serum albumin has a dual role in the cultivation of the Reiter treponeme. It contains a lipid, which is the essential growth factor, and protein, which serves only to bind and detoxify the essential lipid. In a semisolid agar medium, with the fatty acid supplied by diffusion from a liquid overlay, growth is obtained in a narrow zone in the complete absence of protein. Crystalline beta-lactoglobulin has a similar dual function, supplying both an essential lipid and the detoxifying protein. The essential lipid material in serum albumin can be replaced by oleic acid. A number of long-chain ethylenic acids, both cis- and trans, are effective also as are 3 isomeric acetylenic acids. Of a large number of saturated fatty acids tested, only a few possess activity. Esters of the active acids show less activity, and the corresponding fatty alcohols are inactive. The growth response to a mixture of oleic acid and serum albumin is a function of the albumin concn. and of the oleic acid concn., and, to some extent, of the pH of the medium. At pH 7.4 with a fixed concn. of albumin the amt. of growth increases with the amt. of oleic acid added until the molar ratio of the lipid protein reaches 4:1. At higher lipid: protein ratios the amt. of growth falls sharply.