Summary
The incubation of rabbit anti-horse serum (anti-HS) with mycoplasmas (represented byMycoplasma gallisepticum andMycoplasma pneumoniae strains) grown in presence of 20% horse serum resulted in significant killing of the test organisms. In simultaneous tests, however, the anti-HS failed to kill the same mycoplasma strains grown in presence of rabbit serum. The killing of the test mycoplasmas was abolished when the anti-HS was heated at 56°C for 30 min. Killing by anti-HS failed to occur in presence of M/100 EDTA. It is suggested that the killing of the mycoplasmas observed by the anti-HS is a complement mediated reaction, the antibody being specifically directed against the horse serum antigenic determinant(s) acquired by the mycoplasma cell membrane during theirin vitro cultivation in the presence of horse serum. The reaction observed is analogous to the phenomenon of “passive immune kill” reported in case of mammalian cells and “passive immune haemolysis” or “passive immune haemagglutination” in case of erythrocytes. The possible implications of this finding have been pointed out.
Zusammenfassung
Stämme vonMycoplasma gallisepticum undMycoplasma pneumoniae wurden entweder in Medium mit 20% Pferdeserum oder in Medium mit 20% Kaninchenserum gezüchtet. Es zeigt sich bei gleichzeitig durchgeführten Versuchen, daß ein frisches Kaninchen-Antipferde-Serum den Titer der im Medium mit Pferdeserum gezüchteten Mycoplasmen signifikant herabsetzte, während Mycoplasmen gezüchtet in Medium mit Kaninchenserum nicht beeinflußt wurden. Die abtötende Eigenschaft des Kaninchen-Antipferdeserums wurde aufgehoben durch Erwärmen auf 56°C für 30 min oder in Gegenwart von M/100 EDTA. Es wird angenommen, daß die abtötende Wirkung des Antipferdeserums ein Komplement-abhängiger Vorgang ist und daß der Antikörper spezifisch gegen eine antigene Pferdeserum-Determinante gerichtet ist, die sich an der Zellmembran von Mycoplasmen, gezüchtet in Medium mit Pferdeserum, befindet. Die beobachtete Reaktion ist analog dem Phänomen des „passive immune kill“ beobachtet bei Säugetierzellen oder der „passive immune haemolysis“ bzw. „passive immune haemagglutination“ bei Erythrocyten.
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Sethi, K.K., Brandis, H. Killing of mycoplasmas by the antibodies to foreign antigens acquired by the organisms from the growth medium. Med Microbiol Immunol 157, 113–119 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02124471
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02124471