Abstract
Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) extracted from strains of Bacteroides fragilis, Bacteroides melaninogenicus and Bacteroides oralis with phenol-water, trichloroacetic acid, EDTA or liquid phenolchloroform-petroleum ether (PCP) and isolated by ultracentrifugation, varied considerably in their quantitative chemical composition. Negligible yields of LPS were obtained by PCP-extraction. All preparations were more or less serologically active. All methods (except PCP) extracted the same O-antigenic determinants from B. fragilis. Endotoxic activity, as measured by primary skin inflammations in rabbits, was low but was present in all preparations. Proteins (and/or lipoproteins) co-precipitated with LPS in the ultracentrifuge.

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