THE IMMUNOLOGICAL SPECIFICITY OF STAPHYLOCOCCI : IV. CUTANEOUS REACTIONS TO THE TYPE-SPECIFIC CARBOHYDRATES

1. Skin reactions to the type specific carbohydrates of Staphylococcus indicate that cutaneous sensitivity to Type B is either extremely rare or nonexistent. 2. Skin reactions to Type A carbohydrate occur in about 12 per cent of normal infants and children and in 65 to 70 per cent of normal adults. 3. Skin reactions to Type A carbohydrate occur regularly in patients with Staphylococcus infection. 4. Skin reactivity is not associated with demonstrable serum precipitins, for (a) normal individuals, though skin reactive, have not been found to possess them, and (b) not all patients with verified infection develop them. 5. The patients elaborating type specific precipitins, who numbered less than 30 per cent in this study, are those with severe, prolonged, or generalized Staphylococcus infection. 6. Specific carbohydrates have not been found in the urine of patients during Staphylococcus infection.