IMMUNOGENICITY AND ALLERGENICITY IN GUINEA PIGS OF A DEFATTED MYCOBACTERIAL VACCINE AND ITS FRACTIONS

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Abstract
The immunogenicity of residues of mycobacteria extracted with organic solvents has been confirmed in guinea pigs. Further resolution of the defatted residue was attempted by disintegration in a Nossal Apparatus. A comparison was made between adjuvant and saline as suspending agents during the disruption. After disintegration the bacilli lost their acid-fastness and 2 fractions were obtained: 1 soluble and 1 insoluble in the suspending agents. They were separated by high-speed centrifugation. The immunogenicity of the adjuvant-disrupted preparations was definitely superior to that of the saline-disrupted preparations. Moreover, the residue of adjuvant-disrupted cells bestowed a level of immunity at least equal to that elicited by the starting material or BCG. No strict correlation was seen between degree of allergy and degree of immunity either for individual animals given the same vaccine or for groups receiving different vaccines.