[Experimental and clinical studies on the pathogenicity of extracellular proteinases of Streptomyces thermohygroscopicus in farmer's lung].

Streptomyces thermohygroscopicus is a thermoactinomycetes which has been found recently to be related to farmer's lung in China. In the present study, a model of acute farmer's lung was successfully developed with extracellular proteinases of streptomyces thermohygroscopicus (EPST) in the rabbit, and the precipitating antibodies against EPST were detected in the sera from the patients with farmer's lung or bagassosis. Lack of cross reactivity was also showed between EPST, T. vulgaris antigen, and M. faeni antigen.