Demonstration by the Electron Microscope of the Combination of Antibodies with Flagellar and Somatic Antigens

Abstract

The electron microscope, by extending resolving power to a present practical limit of about 50 Ångstrom units (1, 2), is affording the opportunity for investigation of structures hitherto inaccessible to direct examination. The electron microscope is also opening up new possibilities of investigation of process and mechanism, as well as of structure. Recording by electron microscopy of the process of lysis by phage (3), of the interaction of virus molecules with colloidal gold particles (4), of intracellular reduction of tellurite ion (5), and of the combination of virus with antivirus molecules (6, 7), may be cited as cases in point. The present study concerns the sensitization of flagellate typhoid and paratyphoid bacilli and of Bacillus subtilis with rabbit antisera. Alterations of the bacterial cell-wall and flagella by deposition of specific antibodies which combine with surface somatic and flagellar antigens have long been deduced from the behavior of sensitized bacteria in agglutination (8) and phagocytosis and from parallel alterations in cohesiveness, wetting properties and electrophoretic properties (9, 10).