ANTIGENIC DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MATT HEMOLYTIC STREPTOCOCCI AND THEIR GLOSSY VARIANTS

The matt and the glossy forms of four strains of hemolytic streptococci were used to immunize rabbits. Precipitin tests showed that rabbit sera prepared against matt organisms, whether virulent or avirulent for mice, contained type-specific antibody while sera prepared against completely degraded glossy organisms contained no type-specific antibody. Type-specific antibody was removed from the sera by absorption with homologous matt organisms but was unaffected by absorption with homologous glossy organisms. Passive protection experiments on mice showed that anti-matt sera were protective and anti-glossy sera non-protective against infection with homologous virulent organisms. Vaccination of mice with matt organisms rendered them immune to subsequent infection with homologous virulent cultures; but vaccination with glossy organisms established no active immunity.