Antigen-antibody crossed electrophoresis (Laurell) applied to the study of the antigenic structure of Candida albicans.

By means of the antigen-antibody crossed electrophoresis procedure of Laurell, 68 antigens were demonstrated in Candida albicans. This is about four times the number of antigens described earlier by means of classical immunoelectrophoresis. The procedures for obtaining this result are described, including the preparation of antigen, the immunization of rabbits, and the method of N. M. G. Harboe for the production of purified and concentrated rabbit antibodies suitable for quantitative immunoelectrophoresis. The immunoplates were stained by means of the sensitive Coomassie brilliant blue R. The various quantitative immunoelectrophoretic methods offer considerable possibilities for qualitative and quantitative characterization of antigens, even in complex mixtures, and are therefore well suited for the investigation of microbial antigens.