Detection of Sialic Acid in Various Escherichia coli Strains and in Other Species of Bacteria

Abstract

IT was recently reported¹ that an acidic aminopolysaccharide termed colominic acid was elaborated into the culture medium by the colocinogenic strain of Escherichia coli known as K235. This polysaccharide was afterwards shown to be composed of repeating units of N-acetylneuraminic acid or ovine sialic acid². Since this was the first time that sialic acid substances had been found in other than mucopolysaccharides derived from mammalian sources a survey was made to ascertain whether these substances occurred in other Escherichia coli strains and in different species of bacteria. In addition, an attempt was made to correlate the pressure of sialic acid with other known properties of these bacteria.