Studies on Treponema Pallidum and Syphilis. Ii. Spiroch~ticidal Antibodies against Treponema Pallidum. by Hans

In a previous communication we have reported on the agglufinins which are formed in rabbits following systematic inoculation with concentrated culture material of Treponema pallidum. Incidentally it may be stated that a sheep has also been successfully used. The antigen used for the immunization of these animals was similar to that employed in the first agglutination experiments, except that we have lately used cultures grown on a medium devised by Miss Gilbert in this laboratory containing egg and animal sera instead of tissue and animal sera. The egg cultures which have been used have been made up in a manner similar to that employed in the preparation of Dorset's egg, the egg broth mixture being coagulated in the inspissator, with or without glycerine, in high tubes, the broth serum mixtures poured into the tubes, and these sealed with sterile oil after inoculation. We mention this medium in passing since it promises to furnish an excellent method for obtaining clean antigen, unmixed with tissue detritus, a disadvantage incident to tissue cultures. A subsequent report will be made on this medium. The inoculations in animals have always been made in such a way that cultures containing sheep serum were used for immunization, and the cultures finally used in reaction with the immune serum were grown on ascitic fluid. When tissue cultures were employed, rabbit kidney was used in both cases. The reason for this was that we wished to avoid possible protein-anfiprotein reactions which by fixing complement would render our experiments negative.