Studies on the effect of growth medium composition on the antigenicity of Mycoplasma bovis.

Serum proteins adsorbed from the culture medium were detected in Mycoplasma bovis antigens, the number and type of proteins depending on the serum used in the medium. The alpha-globulins cross-reacted with alpha-globulins from different types of sera but the gamma-globulins did not. The removal of non-specific medium antibodies by absorption showed that they affected the gel diffusion and growth precipitation tests, producing cross-reactions between M. bovis and M. bovigenitalium, but that the complement fixation, tube agglutination, and growth inhibition tests were not similarly affected. The presence of serum proteins in the antigens changed their specific reactivity in all the tests. The production of antibodies to serum proteins was increased by the use of an adjuvant, but it appeared that production of specific antibodies to the mycoplasmas was not.