Growth Inhibition and "Neutralization" of Mycoplasma Mycoides by Immune Bovine Serum I. Development of a Liquid Medium Test

Abstract

In 1954, Edward and Fitzgerald! reported that when antisera to various species of pleuropneumonia-like organisms (Mycoplasmataceae) were incorporated in culture medium, growth of the homologous organism was inhibited. Complement was not required for this inhibition. They further suggested that there was a similarity between inhibition of growth of mycoplasma and virus neutralization. Bailey, Clark, Felts and Brown2 used an inhibition-of-growth test based on that of Edward and Fitzgerald to study the growth-inhibitory properties of specific antibody on Mycoplasma hominis. Huijsmans-Evers and Ruys3 described a method of inhibiting human genital mycoplasma on solid medium by application of antiserum-saturated paper discs, and later Clyde4 modified and extended this method to identification of mycoplasma isolated from the human pharynx and from tissue culture.