Serological specificity of acid-soluble antigens of Bacterionema matruchottii

Sibal, Louis R. (University of Illinois College of Medicine, Chicago), Arthur V. Kroeger, Dan Kumarich, and Esther Meyer. Serological specificity of acid-soluble antigens of Bacterionema matruchottii. J. Bacteriol. 83:811-818. 1962.-The serological specificity of acid-soluble antigens extracted from the oral, filamentous organism, Bacterionema matruchottii, was demonstrated by the microprecipitin reaction. There was no evidence of cross-reaction with antisera prepared against Leptotrichia buccalis, Actinomyces, or Lactobacillus species, and these results were confirmed by quantitative complement-fixation tests with selected antisera. Since all of the B. matruchottii isolates studied possess antigens in common, it was concluded that the microprecipitin reaction offers a useful aid in the differentiation of this genus from other filamentous organisms. The results do not provide definitive evidence regarding the taxonomic relationship of B. matruchottii to any genus tested, and tend to support the recent proposal for establishment of a new genus, Bacterionema. Preliminary data obtained with the indirect fluorescent antibody technique appear to indicate that the antigens of the intact bacterial cell are as specific as the acid-soluble extracts.