PARAMENINGOCOCCUS AND ITS ANTISERUM

The parameningococci of Dopter are culturally indistinguishable from true or normal meningococci, but serologically they exhibit differences as regards agglutination, opsonization, and complement deviation. Because of the variations and irregularities of serum reactions existing among otherwise normal strains of meningococci it does not seem either possible or desirable to separate the parameningococci into a strictly definite class. It appears desirable to consider them as constituting a special strain among meningococci not, however, wholly consistent in itself. The distinctions in serum reactions between normal and para meningococci are supported by the differences in protective effects of the monovalent immune sera upon infection in guinea pigs and monkeys. It is therefore concluded that it is highly desirable to employ strains of parameningococcus in the preparation of the usual polyvalent antimeningococcic serum. It remains to be determined whether it is better to employ the parameningococci along with normal meningococci in immunizing horses, or to employ normal and para strains separately in the immunization process and to combine afterwards, in certain proportions, the sera from the two kinds of immunized horses.