Title: DEGRADATION OF THE PHOSPHOLIPIDS OF THE SERUM LIPOPROTEINS BY LEPTOSPIRAE
Abstract: SUMMARY The main types of phospholipids in serum lipoproteins, namely lysolecithin, lecithin, cephalin and sphingomyelin, are susceptible to degradation by specific enzymes of leptospirae. On the basis of their ability to attack lecithin and sphingomyelin the leptospirae can be divided into three groups: (A) strains degrading lecithin but not sphingomyelin, (B) strains degrading lecithin and sphingomyelin, and (C) strains degrading neither lecithin nor sphingomyelin. The saprophytic leptospirae belong to group A and the parasitic leptospirae to groups B and C.