Effect of Formaldehyde upon the Sensitizing Property of Monilia

Abstract

In a previous work 1 we were able to show that regularly constant sensitization of guinea pigs could be produced through the inoculations of heat-killed agar cultures of different moniliae. A comparative study of the sensitizing capacity of the Monilia pinoyi and Monilia psilosis demonstrated that while the former fungus could sensitize guinea pigs even after a single injection of a moderate dose of the culture, it was necessary to use repeated injections of the latter in order to obtain a successful sensitization of the animals. In view of the close serological and morphological relationship between these two species such a difference in the sensitizing capacity was difficult to explain.

On the basis of the above study the suggestion occurred to us that the sensitizing capacity of different organisms such as moniliae may represent an independent function of the fungus protein. If such be the case, it would seem reasonable to expect that this function of the fungus may be diminished or completely destroyed through the use of a suitable procedure. It is known that the addition of formaldehyde to bacterial products, such as toxins, or to bacterial vaccines brings about a considerable diminution or destruction of the toxic principle. Of especial significance is the fact that within certain limits, the removal of the toxic principle by formaldehyde is not associated with the decrease or disappearance of the antigenic property of bacterial toxins or vaccines.