Effect of anti-cord factor antibody on experimental tuberculosis in mice.

Either active immunization with trehalose-6, 6'-dimycolate (cord factor)-methylated bovine serum albumin complex or passive transfer of rabbit anti-cord factor serum induced in mice an enhanced resistance against infection with virulent human Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This suggests that the anti-cord factor antibody exerts an infection-protecting effect by neutralizing the toxic action of cord factor during the course of living virulent infection with tubercle bacilli. The protective effect of active immunization with cord factor-methylated bovine serum albumin complex and of anti-cord factor serum was found to be specific for the tuberculous infection among a number of experimental infections in mice with a variety of cytopathogenic microorganisms tested.