Hemagglutinin in cell walls of Chlamydia psittaci

Intact purified elementary bodies (EB) of Chlamydia psittaci agglutinate chicken erythrocytes in low titer, whereas homogenates of EB and of EB cell walls agglutinate at much higher titers depending on the extent of disruption by shaking and sonication. The hemagglutinin is contained in the cell envelope and can be purified with cell wall fractions. Treatment of cell wall with sodium dodecyl sulfate completely inactivated the hemagglutinin. Purified hemagglutinin was found to have an identical polypeptide composition to EB cell walls. Preparations of purified reticulate forms, the reproductive intracellular form of the organism, were almost totally devoid of hemagglutinin.