336
W. B. SCHAEFER
1965), discontinuous pore gradient gel electrophoresis (Affronti et al.,
1972), or two-dimensional polyacrylamide electrophoresis (Wright et al.,
1972) to separate the protoplasmic antigens of M . tuberculosis and other
mycobacteria.
The antigens of the mycobacterial cell walls of various species of
atypical mycobacteria and of a strain of M. tuberculosis have been studied
by Wong et al. (1970). A fraction solubilised with lysozyme was relatively
species specific in double immunodiffusion and guinea-pig skin tests.
This fraction appeared to be a lipopolysaccharide.
VI. ECOLOGY
The atypical mycobacteria are widespread in their distribution, varying
from place to place. Bailey et al. (1970) found M . kansasii to be present in
water taps. Bullin et al. (1970) found M . xenopi at the same source. Beerwerth and Schurmann (1969) found group I11 strains frequently in arable
soil. Reznikov et al. (1971a) found them in house dust.
Reznikov et al. (1971b) found that the serotypes of M. intracellulare
predominant in house-dust samples were also predominant in sputum specimens. This finding suggested that the environment was the source of the
strains found in the sputa. Kleeberg and Nel(l969,1973) investigated animal
feeds mixed with wood shavings and estimated that at certain farms, pigs
daily eat 3 kg of certain feed mixtures containing 5000-7500 cells of M.
intracellulare. Tsukamura et al. (1974) reported that M . intracellulare was
rare in room dust, but frequent in sputa. I n order to compare the antigenic
components obtained in different laboratories, a reference system consisting
of an M . tuberculosis H37Rv culture filtrate and a goat antiserum was
established by a committee (Janicki, 1971, 1972). Thirteen bands were
identified immunoelectrophoretically and each assigned a specific number.
The same preparations in crossed immunoelectrophoresis showed 36
antigen-antibody bands (Wright and Roberts, 1974). I n only few instances,
however, have the bands been related to components of known chemical
composition.
Chase and Kawata (1974) found that guinea-pigs immunised with killed
mycobacteria in paraffin oil or living BCG were induced to produce antibodies specific for different mycobacterial antigens contained in H37Rv
filtrates. They then used antisera specific for each of the ten antigenic components of these culture filtrates in passive cutaneous anaphylaxis experiments, challenging the animals by intravenous injection of various preparations of tuberculin and PPDs. The capacity of the tuberculin to elicit
a reaction at one of the sites where the sera had been injected indicated the
presence of the homologous antigens in the tuberculin samples. Using this
W. B. SCHAEFER
1965), discontinuous pore gradient gel electrophoresis (Affronti et al.,
1972), or two-dimensional polyacrylamide electrophoresis (Wright et al.,
1972) to separate the protoplasmic antigens of M . tuberculosis and other
mycobacteria.
The antigens of the mycobacterial cell walls of various species of
atypical mycobacteria and of a strain of M. tuberculosis have been studied
by Wong et al. (1970). A fraction solubilised with lysozyme was relatively
species specific in double immunodiffusion and guinea-pig skin tests.
This fraction appeared to be a lipopolysaccharide.
VI. ECOLOGY
The atypical mycobacteria are widespread in their distribution, varying
from place to place. Bailey et al. (1970) found M . kansasii to be present in
water taps. Bullin et al. (1970) found M . xenopi at the same source. Beerwerth and Schurmann (1969) found group I11 strains frequently in arable
soil. Reznikov et al. (1971a) found them in house dust.
Reznikov et al. (1971b) found that the serotypes of M. intracellulare
predominant in house-dust samples were also predominant in sputum specimens. This finding suggested that the environment was the source of the
strains found in the sputa. Kleeberg and Nel(l969,1973) investigated animal
feeds mixed with wood shavings and estimated that at certain farms, pigs
daily eat 3 kg of certain feed mixtures containing 5000-7500 cells of M.
intracellulare. Tsukamura et al. (1974) reported that M . intracellulare was
rare in room dust, but frequent in sputa. I n order to compare the antigenic
components obtained in different laboratories, a reference system consisting
of an M . tuberculosis H37Rv culture filtrate and a goat antiserum was
established by a committee (Janicki, 1971, 1972). Thirteen bands were
identified immunoelectrophoretically and each assigned a specific number.
The same preparations in crossed immunoelectrophoresis showed 36
antigen-antibody bands (Wright and Roberts, 1974). I n only few instances,
however, have the bands been related to components of known chemical
composition.
Chase and Kawata (1974) found that guinea-pigs immunised with killed
mycobacteria in paraffin oil or living BCG were induced to produce antibodies specific for different mycobacterial antigens contained in H37Rv
filtrates. They then used antisera specific for each of the ten antigenic components of these culture filtrates in passive cutaneous anaphylaxis experiments, challenging the animals by intravenous injection of various preparations of tuberculin and PPDs. The capacity of the tuberculin to elicit
a reaction at one of the sites where the sera had been injected indicated the
presence of the homologous antigens in the tuberculin samples. Using this