Metabolism of mannitol by Coccidioides immitis.

Lones, George W. (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, U.S. Public Health Service, Bethesda, Md.), and Carl Peacock. Metabolism of mannitol by Coccidioides immitis. J. Bacteriol. 87:1114-1117. 1964.-Strain M-11 of Coccidioides immitis was found to utilize mannitol for growth in the mycelial form but not in the spherule form. Cell-free extracts of both forms, grown on glucose, were capable of reducing nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide with mannitol-1-PO(4) but not with mannitol. The extracts accomplished a rapid oxidation of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide by fructose-6-PO(4), the expected product of mannitol-1-PO(4) oxidation. Fructose was inactive. Paper electrophoresis and chromatography with several solvent systems demonstrated a substance in extracts of both mycelium and spherules having a migration consistent with that of mannitol.