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Immunological and Chemical Studies on an Oral Veillonella Endotoxin

From the National Institute of Dental Research, National Institutes of Health, Public Health Service, U. S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, Bethesda, Maryland

Abstract

Chemical analysis of nucleic acid-free endotoxin isolated by the phenol-water method from an oral species of Veillonella disclosed a high content of lipid (60%) with carbohydrates consisting of glucosamine and galactosamine. Three unknown thiobarbituric acid reactive components, resembling sialic acid, were found in hydrolyzed endotoxin which gave a negative direct Ehrlich's and Bial's orcinol test. One appeared to be either neutral and/or cationic and two appeared to be anionic.

The lipopolysaccharide endotoxin proved to be a poor antigen in rabbits but reacted as a hapten in precipitin and hemagglutination tests with antiserum produced by immunization with viable Veillonella cells. Endotoxins from other oral species of Gram-negative bacteria failed to block the hemagglutination reaction in the same manner as homologous endotoxin. Absorption experiments indicate that the endotoxin moiety of Veillonella is responsible for the specific agglutinative properties of the organism.