Behavior Exhibited by Mixtures of Pneumococcus Type III and Homologous Antiserum, Analogous to That Described for Similar Associations of Virus and Antiviral Serum

[摘要] 1. 1. The so-called “dilution phenomenon”, or the reappearance of pathogenic properties in inactive mixtures (not fatal to mice) of pneumococcus type III and homologous antibody on simple dilution, has been demonstrated.2. 2. When the organisms are removed from such inactive mixtures they can be shown to be practically undiminished in virulence for mice up to 65 hours following the preparation of the mixture. After these mixtures have stood one to two weeks the cocci in the centrifuged sediments in the majority of instances fail to kill mice.3. 3. The supernatant fluid from under-neutralized mixtures (fatal for mice) of pneumococcus type III and homologous antiserum contains unbound mouse protective substance even when contact between organisms and serum has been maintained for two weeks at 4°C. The quantity of free antibody, however, decreases with the passage of time.4. 4. A comparison of these findings with those recorded by nearly all other observers for analogous mixtures of virus and antiviral serum reveals a striking parallelism in behaviour between the two kinds of pathogenic agents and their respective antisera.

[学科分类] 生物科学（综合）