Chemotaxis of leptospires to hemoglobin in relation to virulence

Abstract

A guinea pig-lethal line of Leptospira interrogans serovar copenhageni strain Shibaura, but not an avirulent line of the same strain, moved in larger numbers toward hemoglobin than toward distilled water (control) in a U-shaped polypropylene tube. L. interrogans serovar lai strains 017 and KH-1, which were also guinea pig lethal, showed a similar move to hemoglobin. No such move toward hemoglobin was shown by 14 avirulent strains of L. interrogans (with one exception) or any of the 8 strains of L. biflexa tested.