Sonic Extraction of Labile Bacterial Constituents

Abstract

Recent investigations have indicated that the killing of certain bacteria by available agents destroys or alters at least some of their antigenic constituents. Thus the investigations of Felix1 have revealed a labile virulence (Vi) antigen detected only in living, virulent strains of Eb. typhi. Similarly, Mudd, Pettit, Lackman and Czarnetzky2 have found that the antibody responsible for the phagocytosis of a strain of Streptococcus hemolyticus is elicited in rabbits by the injection of living organisms and that the living organisms will absorb the antibody from immune serum so produced. The corresponding bacterial antigen itself has resisted all ordinary methods of separation or fractionation.Since it has been shown that sonically killed bacteria are disintegrated3,4,5 and since some heat labile proteins are not denatured by the sonic treatment,6 it appeared possible that labile but important antigens such as those referred to above might be extracted by an adaptation of the method of sonic disintegration...