Brucella antigens--old dogmas, new concepts

A brief review is given on concepts regarding Brucella antigens, principally the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and O-polysaccharide but also, to a minor extent, proteins and lipids. Although these views were reported years ago in the literature and became widely accepted at the time, many have since been disproven with results that have led to exciting new avenues of research and application. Where gaps, contradictions and anecdotal observations suggest that the current understanding of Brucella is limited, the author has commented on possible explanations.