THE PRODUCTION OF CHONDROSULFATASE BY MICROORGANISMS ISOLATED FROM HUMAN GINGIVAL CREVICES

¹ Department of Bacteriology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, N. Y.

Chondrosulfatase was produced by all of 10 mixed bacterial cultures obtained from the gingival pockets of 10 individuals exhibiting chronic marginal gingivitis and by 8 of 11 such cultures obtained from the gingival crevices of 11 subjects with clinically normal gingivae. A micro-aerophilic diphtheroid bacillus was the only organism isolated from these cultures that produced chondrosulfatase. The enzyme was not produced by alpha and beta streptococci, staphylococci, gram-negative micro-aerophilic cocci, aerobic diphtheroid bacilli, and fusiform bacilli isolated from human gingival pockets, nor by various combinations of these bacteria.