Immunochemical Properties of Anti-Cord Factor Antibody

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Abstract
Sera of man and animals infected with tubercle bacilli were tested for precipitating antibody to trehalose-6, 6′-dimycolate (cord factor) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis . None of the sera of mice and rabbits infected with M. tuberculosis H37Rv reacted with cord factor, whereas the sera of animals vaccinated with cord factor-methylated bovine serum albumin complex demonstrated a precipitin reaction with cord factor. Antibody against cord factor was not detected in the sera of cases of active, convalescent, and pneumonectomized human tuberculosis, indicating that the anti-cord factor antibody is not associated with tuberculous infection in man and animals. Precipitin activity against cord factor was localized in 19 S macroglobulin (immunoglobulin M) fraction of the serum of rabbits vaccinated with cord factor-methylated bovine serum albumin complex. Analytical gel filtration and immunodiffusion studies indicated that the anti-cord factor precipitin dissociated from the cord factor-antibody complex is an immunoglobulin M antibody.