Relationship between protective activity and antigen structure of Haemophilus paragallinarum serotypes 1 and 2

The object in this investigation was to determine the relationship between protective activity and antigenic structure of Haemophilus paragallinarum, serotypes 1 and 2. A close relationship exists in both serotypes between protective activity and colonial phenotypic form (iridescent and noniridescent). Protective activities of both serotypes were related to a heat-labile, trypsin-sensitive (L) antigen of iridescent form that produced serotype-specific agglutinin to chickens. The chickens having the agglutinins were protected against challenge exposure with homologous strain, but not with heterologous strain. The chickens injected with unencapsulated organisms of noniridescent form that were derived from encapsulated organisms of iridescent form failed to produce both serotype-specific agglutinins and protection against challenge exposure with homologous strain. Most of the chickens injected with serotype 1 strain produced both hemagglutination-inhibition antibody and serotype 1-specific agglutinin, whereas those injected with serotype 2 produced serotype 2-specific agglutinin and protected against homologous challenge exposure. The protective activity was found in saline extract derived from encapsulated organisms of serotype 1, but was absent in those of serotype 2.