VI. IDENTIFICATION OF ACTINOM YCES AND ARACHNIA
293
T A B L E I11
Strains of Actinomyces and Arachnia used for antiserum production
Strain designation?
Species
WVU number
Other
Serotype
~
A. bovis
A. odontololyticus
A. israelii
A. naeslundii
A. viscosus
Actinomyces sp.
Arachnia propionica
1169
292
8670
482
46 §
307
45
1523
820
371
963
471
346
745 g
ATCC 13683 ; CDC X521;
1
2
ATCC 17929 ; CDC X363
1
ATCC 29323
2
ATCC 12102; CDC X523,
1
C D C W1011, ATCC 29322
2
ATCC 12104; CDC X454
1
CDC W 1544
2
N 16001
3
ATCC 15987; CDC X603
1
ATCC 19246; CDC W859
2
ATCC 14157; CDC X364
1
Pine 1
CDC W855
Type 963
C D C W904, ATCC 29326
t
5
1
WVU-West Virginia University culture collection; ATCC-AmerType, cotype or neotype strain.
N1600-received from S. Bellack, Lincoln State School, 111.
ican Type Culture Collection; CDC-Center for Disease Control.
A variety of media have been used for growing Actinomyces to be used
as immunising antigens. Slack et al. (195 1 ) found that antibodies to culture
medium ingredients interfered with precipitin tests and described a nonantigenic peptone dialysate medium (PDT) for growing cultures to be used
for immunising antigens. When antigens are prepared with this medium,
longer growth times (seven days) and larger volumes of medium (3-4
litres) are needed but there is no danger of producing antobodies to medium
constituents. Our recent studies have shown that cultures grown in
Trypticase Soy Broth (BBL), Brain-Heart Infusion Broth (BBL or Difco)
or Actinomyces Broth (BBL) can be used for immunisation if the cells are
thoroughly washed to remove medium constituents. I n one experiment,
rabbits were immunised with concentrated Actinomyces Broth (AB).
The resulting antiserum produced precipitation lines in immunodiffusion
tests with the homologous antigen showing that at least some of the medium
constituents were antigenic. When the antiserum was conjugated with