Structural and immunochemical characterization of the type VIII group B Streptococcus capsular polysaccharide

Abstract

The type VIII capsular polysaccharide has been isolated and purified from a newly described strain of group B Streptococcus which is a leading cause of sepsis and neonatal meningitis in Japan. The polysaccharide contains D- glucose, D-galactose, L-rhamnose, and sialic acid in the molar ratio 1:1:1:1. Enzymatic studies established this polysaccharide as the first from which sialic acid, linked to a branched β-D-galactopyranosyl residue, is known to be removed by bacterial neuraminidase.