Studies on the Antigens of Paramecium aurelia with the Aid of Fluorescent Antibodies

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Abstract
Whole paramecia, immobilized by exposure to antiserum previously conjugated with fluorescein, were examined by fluorescence microscopy, which permitted a study of the external parts of the cell. Fluorescence appeared in a thin layer around the entire surface of the organisms, and in globules at the clumped tips of the cilia. The nuclei and cytoplasm were invisible, but a few food vacuoles were brightly fluorescent. Observations of paramecia in the process of transforming from one serotype to another indicated that the change in antigen occurred uniformly around the organism. It seems likely that the immobilization antigen is a fluid substance covering the whole surface of the organism, and that it is constantly being exuded into the water in which the organisms are swimming.
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