Influence of oxygen on respiration and glucose catabolism by Treponema pallidum.

Oxygen consumption by Treponema pallidum was observed to be glucose dependent. Treponemes consumed O2 to a low dissolved O2 concentration of 0.01 mumol of O2 per ml when respiration ceased. A fermentative degradation of glucose occurred during the maintenance of treponemes at 0.01 mumol of O2 per ml. Although the initial rate of respiration was independent of the dissolved O2 concentration, the respiration rate decreased upon prolonged incubation at 0.20 mumol of O2 per ml as compared with the respiration rate at 0.7 mumol of O2 per ml. Oxygen was determined to be the major electron acceptor during the oxidative metabolism of glucose. Acetate formation paralleled the respiration rate of the treponemes, whereas lactate production appeared to be independent of respiration. Accumulation of pyruvate occurred at 0.20 mumol of O2 per ml but not at 0.07 mumol/ml. Analyses of enzyme activities in cell-free extracts from treponemes maintained at either 0.07 or 0.20 mumol of O2 per ml for 4 h revealed a loss of pyruvate decarboxylase activity at the higher dissolved O2 concentration, suggesting the inactivation of pyruvate oxidase.