STUDIES ON IMMUNITY AND PATHOGENESIS OF SALMONELLOSIS. II. ANTIBODY PRODUCTION AND ACCUMULATION OF BACTERIAL POLYSACCHARIDE IN THE TISSUES OF CHICKENS INFECTED WITH SALMONELLA GALLINARUM.

Abstract

The bacterial agglutination, haemagglutination and antiglobulin haemagglutination tests have been used to detect antibody production during the development of Salmonella gallinarum infection in chickens. The latter test has detected serum antibodies as early as 1 day after oral infection in some cases of acute experimental disease, and antibodies were detected in the sera of all birds at the time of death. The accumulation of bacterial polysaccharide in the tissues of infected birds has been detected by a haemagglutination inhibition test. High but variable concentrations occurred in different organs of chickens which died from the disease. The presence of bacterial antibody and bacterial polysaccharide in the tissues of infected birds at death is discussed in relation to the pathogenesis of this disease. It is postulated that an antigen—antibody reaction, developing as an anaphylactic type of hypersensitivity, may be closely associated with the production of symptoms and death of chickens infected with Salm. gallinarum.