Summary®-N-Acetylgalactosaminidase from Clostridium perfringens is an exoglycosidase that degrades the human blood type A epitope. A highly puri ed preparation of ®-N-acetylgalactosaminidase was obtained from C. perfringens by salt precipitation, gel ltration, ionexchange chromatography, chromatofocusing, and high-pressure liquid chromatography. The nal preparation was homogeneous by sodium dodecyl sulfate -polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, with a molecular mass of 72.1 kDa. The enzyme was highly selective for terminal N-acetyl-®-D-galactosamine residues. No other substantial glycosidase activities, speci cally neuraminidase, were detected. The pH optimum of the enzyme was between 6.5 and 7.0, and activity was unaffected by ionic strength. No protease activity was detected and enzyme activity was stable at 4 ± C for 12 months. ELISA experiments demonstrated activity against blood type A epitope. IUBMB Life, 50: 91 -97, 2000