Haemadsorption and Haemagglutination by Mycoplasmas

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Abstract
Factors concerned in demonstrating hemadsorption and hemagglutination and their occurrence among different mycoplasmas were investigated. Hemadsorption occurred best to colonies which had recently developed on agar at pH 6.5. Mycoplasmas isolated from various bird and animal sources (Mycoplasma gallisepticum, M. agalactiae, M. bovigenitalium and M. pulmonis), hemadsorbed with erythrocytes from a wide range of species. Not all strains within a serotype haemadsorbed; the ''Negroni'' strain of M. pulmonis did not. Hemadsorption could be inhibited by crowding of colonies on agar and by the addition of specific antiserum to the colonies. Antiserum titers obtained by hemadsorption inhibition (HI) were generally low in com-parision with those obtained by metabolic inhibition, and HI was not useful as a routine serological technique. The development of the hemagglutinin of M. gallisepticum in liquid medium was studied; a change in the pH value of the medium used as an index of its development was intimately associated with the organism. The centrifuged deposits of other mycoplasmas from birds, cattle, goats, man, rodents and pigs, grown in liquid medium also hemagglutinated (generally to low titer). Hemagglutination occurred best in U-shaped cups at 37[degree] and at pH 6.5-7.0 and could be inhibited by specific antiserum. There was lack of correlation between hemadsorption and hemagglutionation; both of these phenomena were exhibited by some mycoplasmas, others hemadsorbed only and still others hemagglutinated only.