Fatty Acid-induced Tuberculocidal Activity in Sera of Guinea Pigs Treated with Bacillus Calmette-Guerin and Lipopolysaccharide

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Abstract
This study showed that sera of guinea pigs immunologically activated by vaccination and by challengewith bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) and sera of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated guinea pigs have tuberculocidal activity. Like the tuberculocidal activity of oleic acid, the serum tuberculocidal activity was not neutralized by the addition of exogenous iron, but it was neutralized quite effectively by the addition of albumin. Both BCG- or LPS-induced tuberculocidal activities disappeared in about one week after treatment. Titrimetric determinations and gas-liquid chromatographic studies showed that the antibacterial activity in sera of immunologically stimulated animals is caused by the increased levels of myristic, palmitic, oleic, and linoleic acids. These fatty acids were found to be highly toxic for the BCG strain of Mycobacterium bovis. The tuberculocidal effect in sera of immunologically activated animals increases according to the number of previous vaccinations. This finding indicates that the antituberculous activity in serum is an expression of immunologic processes that take place in the body of sensitive animals during severe immunologic reactions.

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