The unfortunate role of precedent in bacteriology. I. The main antigens of salmonellae: the proteins.

Proteins from S. paratyphi B were found to be better immunogens, in rabbits, than the bacteria from which they were extracted. Likewise, proteins from S. newport induced antibodies which reacted in agar gel, against proteins from many species of Salmonella. The immunogenicity of the bacterial proteins, as well as their many biological activities are ignored because the classic techniques used lose these main antigens of Enterobacteriaceae. The contrasting overemphasized role attributed to the lipopolysaccharides has created a precedent which is not to the advantage of bacteriology.