Sulfhydryl oxidation using procedures and experimental conditions commonly used for Treponema pallidum.

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Abstract
Certain reducing agents containing sulfhydryl groups are important to the in-vitro survival of T. pallidum. Discrepancies occur concerning the agents and the concentrations that are optimal. To clarify some of this confusion, sulfhydryl oxidation was determined using procedures and experimental conditions commonly used for T. pallidum. Sulfhydryl oxidation varied according to the type of culture medium, the size of the culture vessels, the volume of the culture medium, the gaseous environment within the culture vessels and the method of extracting treponemes from infected [rabbit] testicular tissue. Dithiothreitol maintained highly reduced conditions by reducing disulfide groups to sulfhydryl groups. The organisms influenced the sulfhydryl concentration by direct oxidation or specific uptake. The sulfhydryl content was sharply decreased in the presence of viable preparations of T. pallidum compared with heated preparations or membrane filtrates of viable preparations.