Abstract
It has been conclusively proved that the specific polysaccharide of pneumococcus possesses antigenic power. It is generally thought that similar substances obtained from other bacteria were devoid of any antigenic property. In the present study it will be shown that the substance prepared from Bacillus rhinoscleromatis is antigenic.
The organism was isolated at the Peiping Union Medical College Hospital from the infected submaxillary lymph gland of a clinically established case of rhinoscleroma infection. The cultural characteristics and biochemical reactions of this organism are similar to those described by Morris and Julianelle 1 for 10 strains of Klebsiella rhinoscleromatis. The organisms were grown on meat infusion agar, pH 7.6, for 48 hours at 37°C. after which they were washed with distilled water and precipitated by the addition of 95% alcohol. After standing in the ice chest over night the organisms were dried over a boiling water bath and then resuspended in distilled water in the proportion of one part of dried bacilli to 150 parts of water. The flask containing the organisms was thoroughly shaken and placed in the ice chest overnight. At the end of that time glacial acetic acid was added to the gelatinous suspension to effect a concentration of one percent. The flask was placed in a boiling water bath for 30 minutes. It is interesting to note that there was a clearing of the suspension after 15 minutes of heating as all the cells had settled to the bottom of the flask. At this point the flask was agitated and hydrolysis continued. After being allowed to cool, the clear yellowish solution obtained from centrifugation was precipitated with 4 volumes of 95% alcohol to which was added one percent sodium acetate.
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