The Immediate Type Allergic Skin Reaction in Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia

Abstract

Proteins extracted from Mycoplasma mycoides by hot phenol or trichloracetic acid gave larger delayed allergic reactions in immune cattle than proteins extracted by cold phenol or ammonium sulfate. The addition of a paraffin-lanolin adjuvant to the proteins extracted by hot phenol resulted in an enhanced delayed reaction in immune cattle when inoculated s/c or i/d. Unfortunately, this material produced large reactions in some negative cattle when inoculated i/d. When inoculated s/c it still produced reactions in some negative cattle, but they were less severe. The addition of corn (maize) oil as an adjuvant was more satisfactory. When inoculated i/d it gave only a small reaction in a proportion of negative cattle and appreciably enhanced the reaction in immune cattle. Lipopolysaccharide-protein, extracted with hot phenol from cells of M. mycoides, induced an immediate allergic reaction in cattle previously inoculated with M. mycoides. The activity of this material was reduced after extraction with chloroform/methanol, or after periodate oxidation, but was unaltered after treatment with trypsin and papain, or after boiling. The lipopolysaccharide, therefore, appears to be responsible for the immediate allergic reaction. This material was not specific as it contains antigenic components in common with another bacterium isolated from cattle.