Production of multivalent fluorescent antisera for identification of organisms in the Mycobacterium avium-Mycobacterium intracellulare complex

Antisera to ten strains of mycobacteria in the Mycobacterium avium-Mycobacterium intracellulare group were obtained by injecting rabbits with ultraviolet light-killed cells. The antisera were conjugated with fluorescein isothiocyanate and used in the direct fluorescent antibody test. Individual antisera reacted specifically with the mycobacterial serotype used to produce them. The antisera were then combined in two multivalent pools. Each multivalent pool reacted specifically with its corresponding antigens. The multivalent antisera were thus found to provide a rapid identification method for the mycobacteria studied.