[Detection in bovine serum of non-agglutinating antibodies directed against occult antigens of Brucella abortus strain 19].

Injection of different animal species with particulate T-dependent antigens induces the appearance of two antibody populations belonging to IgG class, one of them with agglutinating activity and the other lacking this capacity, that is, non-agglutinating. In this paper, 3 adult female Hereford were inoculated subcutaneously, fortnightly, four times, with 5 x 10(10) heat killed smooth S19 Brucella abortus cells. Blood samples were taken ten days after the last inoculation and were individually processed. Serum agglutinating titres against the homologous antigen and the Coombs test score were similar, indicating that nonagglutinating antibody titres directed against surface antigens of the smooth phase were not significant (Table 1). When sera were incubated with a suspension of Brucella abortus S45/20 (a rough strain) they showed poor agglutinating ability, but they contained non-agglutinating activity at high level, as determined by the anti-gamma-globulin test (Table 1). Similar results were obtained when the same sera were adsorbed with Brucella abortus S19 up to elimination of the antibodies directed against surface antigens, and then incubated with a suspension of strain 45/20 (Table 1). These antibodies were isolated from sera by immunoadsorption, using a thick suspension of S45/20 and then dissociated with glycine-CHl buffer 0.1M pH 3. These antibodies showed little agglutinating capacity for S45/20; however non-agglutinating antibodies were bound to the bacteria up to 1.5 micrograms g as demonstrated by Coombs test. Apart from the incomplete antibodies against external antigens of smooth Brucella abortus strains detected in long-term stimulated cattle, non-agglutinating antibodies with specificity for deeper antigens of the smooth bacteria were evidenced.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)