NEW ANTIGENIC COMPONENT OF PASTEURELLA PESTIS FORMED UNDER SPECIFIED CONDITIONS OF pH AND TEMPERATURE

Abstract

Aronson and Bichowsky-Slomnicki, (1960) reported that cells of Pasteurella pestis incubated at a pH below 6.7 and a temperature about 35 C undergo a change in their surface charge demon-strable by a decreased electrophoretic mobility. The present communication presents evidence that this decrease in mobility is associated with the formation of a specific antigenic surface component. The presence of this antigen in various strains of P. pestis, as well as its relation to other known antigenic fractions of P. pestis, has been studied. Also, the possible contribution of this antigen to the pathogenesis of plague has been investigated.