[Molecular nature of the Brucella polysaccharide antigen (poly-B)]

Cyclic (1----2)-beta-D-glucan was isolated from killed cells of pathogenic Brucella melitensis 16M. Its structure was deduced mainly from the acid hydrolysis, methylation analysis and 13C-NMR spectroscopy data. The cycloglucan and demicellated lipopolysaccharide of B. melitensis 16M form a stable complex identical, by immunodiffusion test, to the earlier described polysaccharide B antigen.