THE BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF STRESSFUL AGENTS AS RELATED TO DIET

Technical Report · Mon Jun 12 04:00:00 EDT 1961

OSTI ID:4037873

Visek, W J

Urease is produced by plants, fungi, and 200 species of bacteria. Urease producing bacteria were found to be resistant to antibiotics. The emzyme was found to be produced by bacteria which are normally found in the gastrointestimal tract of man and animals. Urease pro duces ammonia thrcugh urea hydrolysis. The substrate, urea, is constantly produced by mammalian tissues and is carried by tissue fluid and other secretions to the area where the enzyme is active. Ammonia, a known toxin produced by this process, is detoxified in the liver by reconversion to urea. In the case of birds or certhin mammals which prcduce uric acid, this substance was found to be decomposed to urea by bacteria and to serve indirectly as a substrate for urease. Inhibition of urea breakdown by this process produced growth increases of 10 to 40% in experiments with rats and chickens. Inhibition of urease activity followed the addition of antibacterial agents tc the diet, and good results were obthined with pericillin, chlortetracycline, and arsanilic acid. These inhibited the formation of urease by bacteria of the intestinal tract in both in vitro and in vivo studies and also appeared to alter bacterial growth under certain circumstances. Immunity to jackbean urease resulted in the passage of antiurease into the gastrointestinal and urinary tracts, thereby inhibiting the formation of bacterial enzymes in rats and chickens. A highly sensitive and reliable hemagglutination techrique was developed for the detection of antiurease. Antiurease was not found in the sera of normal birds, laboratory animals, or man. Preliminary screening of sera from hospital patients indicates that the antibody may be significant in patients with certhin diseases. A list is included of papers published and abstracts are included of papers presented at scientific meetings during the period covered. (C.H.)

• Research Organization: Chicago. Univ.
• NSA Number: NSA-15-023198
• OSTI ID: 4037873
• Report Number(s): TID-12906
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

AMINES
AMMONIA
ANIMALS
ANTIBIOTICS
ARSANILIC ACID
ARSENIC COMPOUNDS
ARSONIC ACID
BACTERIA
BIOLOGY
BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
BIRDS
BLOOD SERUM
DECOMPOSITION
DIET
DRUGS
ENZYMES
FUNGI
HETEROCYCLICS
IMMUNITY
INTESTINE
LIVER
MAN
ORGANIC ACIDS
ORGANIC CHLORINE COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
PENICILLIN
PLANTS
PURINES
RATS
STOMACH
STRESSES
TETRACYCLINES
TISSUES
UREA
UREASE
URIC ACID