Immunological Specificity of Bacterium Aerogenes and Its Antigenic Relation to Pneumococcus, Type II, and Friedländer's Bacillus, Type B

[摘要] 1. 1. Three strains of Bacterium aerogenes have been found to comprise three type-specific immunological entities.2. 2. One strain, A #1, is highly individualistic, reacting only in its own antiserum; a second, A #8, exhibits serological reactions in common with pneumococcus, type II; and a third, A #11, participates in reciprocal reactions with Friedländer's bacillus, type B, as well as pneumococcus, type II.3. 3. These cross serological relationships are confirmed by protection tests in white mice, as well as by precipitation reactions with crude carbohydrates extracted from the capsular substance of the reactive strains.4. 4. The immunological relationships of certain strains of Friedländer's bacillus, pneumococcus and Bacterium aerogenes apparently depend upon similarities in the chemical constitution of their capsular carbohydrates.5. 5. Agglutinin adsorption, however, detects definite antigenic variations in the interreactive cultures, indicating differences as well as similarities in the capsular antigens.6. 6. Decapsulation of these strains deprives them of the immunological relationships and type-specificity and renders the organisms species-reactive, indicating a difference in constitution of the somatic antigens.7. 7. Strains of Bacterium aerogenes , although different serologically when encapsulated, become antigenically the same when decapsulated.

[学科分类] 生物科学（综合）