Abstract
The work of Zinsser and Parker, 1 Heidelberger and Avery 2 and one of us (Mueller) 3 has indicated that most bacteria produce carbohydrate gums possessing the property of reacting specifically with antibodies formed in response to injections of the original bacteria. It is, therefore, of interest to study a number of these gums, called by Zinsser “residue antigens,” from different bacterial sources. Only by such study can it be determined to what extent it will be necessary to alter the present conception of the chemical basis of immunological specificity.
Since the Friedlander Bacillus grows readily and abundantly on simple media, and is known to produce considerable quantities of a complex carbohydrate presumably related to the capsular material, 4 ∗ this organism was chosen as being particularly adapted to the work.
An old stock strain has been used, the source of which is unknown. It may be mentioned here that among several strains examined, there are distinct serological differences, as might be expected from the unsatisfactory cultural classification of this group. Work upon other strains is being continued by one of us, (Smith) and it is possible that a classification of the group based on relationship of the residue antigens produced may be developed as an incident to the purely chemical study of these substances.
Cultures were made in broth, prepared from casein hydrolyzed for six hours with four times the weight of hydrochloric acid. After removal of the excess acid, and neutralization, there is added an inorganic salt mixture and glucose. One hundred liters of broth were used for the preparation here reported. After a week's growth in the incubator, the flasks were Arndded for one hour, passed through a Sharples centrifuge to remove the bacteria, concentrated to about one tenth on the water bath and precipitated by adding two volumes of alcohol.
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