The role of coagulase in the defence of Staphylococcus aureus against phagocytosis.

The experiments of Hale and Smith (1945) which purported to show that coagulase production protected staphylococci from phagocytosis by polymorphs have been repeated, making allowance for the effect of variation in the number of leucocytes and staphylococci in the experimental system on the number of organisms phagocytosed. It is concluded that their findings were dependent upon these factors and cannot be taken as evidence that coagulase production protects staphylococci against phagocytosis.