BACTERIOPHAGE AS AN ANTIGEN 



389 



Second, that certain races of the bacteriophage are naturally refrac- 

 tory to the action of heterologous antiserum. Some of them are refrac- 

 tory even to a homologous antiserum. 



Third, that the inactivating action of an antiserum for the different 

 virulences of a single bacteriophage is extremely variable from one race 

 to another. For example, in Experunent C, the last three races are 

 multivirulent. Through the action of the antiserum all three races 

 lose their virulences for the Flexner and Hiss bacilli, but at the same 

 time, race K retains intact its virulence for Shiga and for B. typhosus, 

 race T loses both, and race Ty loses much of its virulence for Shiga 

 and retains that for B. typhosus intact. 



2... 

 P.. 

 S.. 

 2-T 

 F-1 

 Sh. 

 K.. 

 Ty. 

 T. . 



PLANTINGS MADE ON AGAR OF 



Bacteriophage anti-serum mix- 

 ture combined with 



dysen- 

 teriae 

 Shiga 







± 



+4 

 +3 





 +4 

 +4 

 + 1 







dysen- 



teriae 



Flexner 





 

 

 



+1 





 

 

 



lypho- 





 



+4 

 +4 





 +4 

 +4 

 +4 







Bacteriophage only combined 

 with 



B. 



dysen- 

 teriae 

 Shiga 







+4 



+4 



+4 







+4 

 +4 

 +4 

 +4 



R. 



dysen- 



teriae 



Flexner 



+4 

 +3 

 +4 

 +4 

 +4 

 + 1 

 +4 

 +3 

 +4 



B. 



dysen- 



+4 

 +3 

 +4 

 +4 

 +4 

 + 1 

 +4 

 +3 

 +4 



typho- 

 sus 







+4 



+4 



+4 







+4 

 +4 

 +4 

 +4 



Bruynoghe, and his collaborators Wagemans and Appelmans,^^'''^^^ 

 also found that the antigenic value of different races of the bacterio- 

 phage is very variable, and although they agree with Otto on this 

 point they differ entirely upon the question of antigenic specificity. 

 According to Otto there is a specificity of virulence; according to Bruy- 

 noghe the specificity resides in the race. For the first (Otto), an animal 

 prepared by injections of a bacteriophage developed at the expense of 

 the Flexner bacillus neutralizes the virulence for Flexner bacilli (with few 

 exceptions) of other races of the bacteriophage, leaving the other viru- 

 lences unmodified. For Bruynoghe, the serum of an animal im- 

 munized by injections of one race of bacteriophage, whatever may be 

 the bacterium at whose expense it has developed, neutrahzes all of the 

 virulences of this race, and solely of this race; remaining without 

 neutralizing action for all other races of bacteriophage. 



