The Application of Fluorescent Antibody
Techniques to the Identification of
Actinomyces and Arachnia
MARY ANN GERENCSER
Department of Microbiology, Medical Center, West Virginia University,
Morgantown, W . V. 26506, U.S.A.
I.
11.
111.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
IX.
Introduction .
Isolation and Identification of Actinomyces and Aruckniu
.
A. Isolation
.
B. Identification
.
A. Production of antiserum
B. Conjugation with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) .
Reactions of F I T C Conjugated Antisera with Actinomyces and
Arachnia
.
Production of Fluorescent Antibody Reagents
.
A. Staining procedures
.
B.
C.
D. Reactions with morphologically similar bacteria
.
.
A. Identification of pure cultures
.
B. Identification in clinical material
.
C. Identification in dental plaque.
.
Other Serological Techniques .
A. Cell wall agglutination .
B. Detection of soluble antigens .
.
Serological Diagnosis of Actinomycosis
.
Antigens of Actinomyces .
Discussion and Conclusions
.
Reaction of Actinomyces species and Arachnia propionica
Preparation of absorbed conjugates .
Use of FA in Identification
References
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I. INTRODUCTION
Actinomyces has been associated with disease in animals and in man since
the 1870s. The early history of these bacteria and the confusion concerning
their nomenclature have been reviewed in several publications (Smith,