The Effect of Tubercle Bacilli on the Antigenicity of a Synthetic Ester of Oleic Acid

Abstract

Injection of rabbits with formalin-killed human or avian tubercle bacilli grown in a medium containing the synthetic water-soluble oleic acid ester, “Tween 80”, elicits the production of serum antibodies capable of precipitating this synthetic ester. Tubercle bacilli grown in the presence of “Tween” or artificially coated by “Tween” are agglutinated by such sera in high titer. “Tween 80” per se is non-antigenic when given intravenously to rabbits under the conditions studied. Serological cross-reactions occur between “Tween 80” and various other chemically related water-soluble fatty acid esters.