SIMILARITY IN THE EDTA-SOLUBLE ANTIGENS OF CLOSTRIDIUM-CHAUVOEI AND C-SEPTICUM

The EDTA-soluble antigens were prepared from whole cells of six strains of Clostridium chauvoei and five strains of C. septicum and were compared by sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and immunoblot analysis. SDS-PAGE profiles of the 11 strains were nearly identical, although there were slight variations in molecular mass in adjacent bands. In immunoblot analysis with two antisera against C. chauvoei and three against C. septicum, the antigens of all strains tested reacted with all five antisera and there were no differences in reactivities to the same antiserum between homologous and heterologous antigens. In an immunoblot reacted with a single antiserum, band patterns of 10 of the 11 strains were quite similar. After cross-absorption, antisera to both species lost most of their reactivities not only to heterologous antigens but also to homologous antigens. These results indicate that the two species share many common antigens and that there is a marked similarity in the antigenic properties of EDTA-soluble material.