390 IMMUNO-CATALYSIS 



enzymes, possibly, situated inside the cell and the antibody molecules 

 deposited on the outside wall of the cells cannot take place. This 

 could explain the absence of inhibition of the oxidative enzymes of the 

 bacterial cells which are agglutinated by the specific antibacterial 

 serum. 



The elucidation of these questions will require that both cell-free 

 enzyme preparations and intact living cells be used for immunization 

 purposes and cell-free enzyme preparations be used to determine the 

 specific effect of immune sera prepared against such enzyme prepara- 

 tions. 



6. Phosphatase and Antiphosphatase 



Braun (1946) reported the result of an interesting study on the 

 changes of blood-phosphatase levels in cows infected with Brucella 

 abortus. Testing for alkaline serum phosphatase, it was found that the 

 phosphatase level was the only one out of 23 simultaneously tested 

 blood constituents which revealed a significant change immediately 

 after infection. There was an average significant decrease of 

 phosphatase levels in 39 animals showing agglutinins after infection 

 with Br. abortus. In one cow there was an exceptional increase of 

 the phosphatase level which failed to show agglutinins after infection. 

 A second overwhelming infection of this cow with Br. abortus again 

 caused a rapid increase of its phosphatase level. Six weeks later, how- 

 ever, this animal suddenly showed a rapidly ascending agglutination 

 titer and the phosphatase level decreased simultaneously with the 

 appearance of the agglutinin titer. 



The enzyme phosphatase present in blood serum catalyzes the 

 hydrolysis of monoesters of phosphoric acid, such as glycerophosphate, 

 dihydroxyacetone phosphate, adenine nucleotide, phenylphosphate, 

 etc. This enzyme has been reported to increase in blood serum in 

 various diseases, such as rickets, osteogenic sarcoma, bone fractures, 

 hyperparathyroidism, hepatitis, etc. In male guinea pigs. Brucella 

 infection has been reported to affect bones, joints or other organs. 



An answer to the question of the nature of factors involved in the 

 increase in serum phosphatase in infection with Br. abortus must be 

 provided for an understanding of the relationship between the decrease 

 of phosphatase level with the rise of agglutination titer. One may 



