A Cytolytic Toxin Specific for Human Cells of a Streptococcus intermedius Isolated from Human Liver Abscess

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Streptococcus intermedius is one of the three distinct species classified into the Streptococcus milleri-group(SMG, S. anginosus, S. constel/atus and S. intermedius) which constitutes a portion of the normal flora of the human oral cavity, as well as the upper respiratory, gastrointestinal and female urogenital tracts, and it can cause purulent infections in the mouth and internal organs. Recently, S. intermedius has been found to be associated with brain and liver abscesses3• However, the pathogenic factors of S. intermedius have not been sufficiently characterized despite their clinical importance. Several Streptococcus species such as S. pyogenes and S. pneumoniae are hemolytic and produce the cytotoxins streptolysin 0 and pneumolysin, respectively. These cytotoxins directly damage host tissues and defense cells and participate in bacterial pathogenicity. They are effective on various animal cells, such as sheep, rabbit and horse erythrocytes as well as on human cells2• However, since almost all strains of S. intermedius did not show significant hemolysis on the horse or sheep blood agar, the cytotoxin of this species has not been studied. Recently, we found a cytolytic toxin (intermedilysin) specific for human cells secreted from a strain of this species isolated from a human liver

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