Abstract
LIPIDS of mycobacteria are known to be immunogenically active components of tubercle bacilli1. First of all, it was surprising that mycobacteria contain lipids up to 35 per cent of their dry weight2. This fact did not escape the notice of immunologists. It seemed highly improbable that this fraction of the mycobacteriae should not contain antigens or—more likely—haptens. Since alcohol-soluble lipids form stable aqueous suspensions, they can be examined relatively easily. However, the majority of mycobacterial lipids consists of waxes which form no stable aqueous suspensions and usually exhibit an anti-complementary action. By means of a newly developed microprecipitin technique3 it became possible to investigate all kinds of lipids, independently from their solubility in organic solvents.
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References
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STÖSS, B., HERRMANN, R. Immunogenic Activity of Lipids of M. tuberculosis. Nature 208, 1224 (1965). https://doi.org/10.1038/2081224a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/2081224a0
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