364 BIOLOGY OF PNEUMOCOCCUS 



immunized animals. Reimann and Wu (1930) 1132 reported that ex- 

 perimental typhus fever in guinea pigs vaccinated with pneumo- 

 cocci had no influence on the pneumococcal agglutinins. 



ADDITIONAL DATA 



According to Goodner, 528 agglutinins are associated with the 

 least soluble globulins — the euglobulin fraction — of antipneumo- 

 coccic horse serum. No references could be found regarding the 

 distribution of pneumococcal agglutinins in the protein portions 

 of specific immune serum of other animals. In a study of the 

 changes in bacterial volume as a result of specific agglutination, 

 Jones and Little (1933) 681 " 2 stated that during specific agglutina- 

 tion globulin from immune serum is deposited on the surface of 

 the organism. The increase in volume of pneumococci might be 

 ascribed to the interaction of cellular carbohydrate and immune 

 globulin — possibly agglutinin — which results in a swelling, or 

 Quellung to use the Neufeld term, of the cocci. 



In the mechanism of the type-specific agglutination of Pneu- 

 mococcus, Francis 472 found that when the organisms were not 

 present in sufficient numbers to absorb completely all the anti- 

 bodies from immune serum, more antibody was bound by cellular 

 carbohydrate than was required for the process of agglutination. 

 The excess of antibody thus fixed could then unite with additional 

 amounts of soluble specific substance when the polysaccharide was 

 added in soluble form to the agglutinated material. When an ex- 

 cess of free SSS was added to an agglutinated mass of antibody 

 and pneumococci, the organisms were redispersed, and in the sus- 

 pended state were again specifically agglutinable. Francis con- 

 cluded that the reactive substance of the pneumococcal cell in 

 type-specific agglutination is the capsular polysaccharide. The 

 observation agrees with the observation of Avery and Goebel 

 (1933) 46 that Type I acetyl polysaccharide in purified form ab- 

 sorbs from Type I antipneumococcic serum all demonstrable type- 

 specific agglutinins as well as precipitins and protective anti- 

 bodies. 



