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. 1976 Jun;13(6):1654–1662. doi: 10.1128/iai.13.6.1654-1662.1976

Bacillus pumilus polysaccharide cross-reactive with meningococcal group A polysaccharide.

W F Vann, T Y Liu, J B Robbins
PMCID: PMC420816  PMID: 184043

Abstract

A polysaccharide, antigenically and structurally related to meningococcal group A polysaccharide, was isolated from Bacillus pumilus Sh-17. This enteric bacterium has been implicated as a source of natural meningococcal group A immunity (Myerowitz et al., 1973). The B. pumilus polysaccharide was composed of a homopolymer of (1-6)-N-acetyl-manosamine-1-phosphate, glycerol phosphate teichoic acid-containing N-acetylglucosamine and alkali-labile alanine esters, and a mucopeptide. The cross-reaction was due to the poly-(1-6)-N-acetyl-mannosamine-1-phosphate in the B. pumilus and the meningococcal group A polysaccharides, based on the following evidence. Both polysaccharides contained N-acetyl-mannosamine phosphate. Periodate oxidized the mannosamine phosphate residues of the polysaccharide and destroyed their precipitating activity with meningococcal group A antiserum. Mild acid treatment released phosphomonoesters and destroyed the meningococcal group A precipitating activity of both polysaccharides. N-acetyl-mannosamine-6-phosphate inhibited the precipitation reaction between strain Sh-17 and meningococcal group A antisera. Only mannosamine phosphate was detected in trichloroacetic acid extracts of Sh-17 polysaccharide and meningococcal group A antigen-antibody precipitates.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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