Cell-Wall Antigens of V. Cholerae and Their Implication in Cholera Immunity

Abstract

In a previous study, highly purified polysaccharide preparations obtained from an Ogawa type of Vibrio cholerae showed very high mouse protective potency when tested by the method described by Feeley and Pittman [1], while others were very poor in antibody production in animals and man, thus indicating that mouse protective potency and antibody eliciting activity do not always coincide [2]. In contrast, similarly purified polysaccharide preparations from Inaba-type strains failed to show high mouse protective activity, and a protein moiety combined with polysaccharide was required to maintain mouse protective activity and antibody eliciting power [3]. This difference in immunological behaviour seems to be due more to the character of the strains used than to a technical error during the purification processes, since the technique of preparing Ogawa purified polysaccharide has been quite reproducible in our hands. It therefore appeared that the same purification method could not be applied to all strains or types of V. cholerae in order to prepare immunogenically potent antigen.