Abstract
Summary
A technique is described for employing coverslip antigenic preparations of six species of mycoplasmas in immunofluorescent tests. When grown directly on coverslips in broth media, the colonies produced were small, uniform in size, evenly distributed over the coverslips, and fluoresced uniformly with a high degree of specificity. These factors reduced the size of antigen samples required for the unequivocal demonstration of serum dilution end-points with an attendant economy of time and reagents. Direct growth on cover-slips simplified the preparation of antigens and eliminated the introduction of media components or other contaminants into the preparations. The resultant purified antigens exhibited minimal cross-reactions between species, retained their reactivity after prolonged storage, and were adaptable to batch testing. Utilized in the direct fluorescent test, coverslip grown antigens provided a simple and relatively rapid means of identifying mycoplasmas. Their use in the indirect test appeared to be a practical means of screening human sera for evidence of immunologic experience with a variety of mycoplasmas.
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