title: Humoral response of the mouse to Treponema pallidum.
abstract: To investigate the development of the humoral immune response of mice to infection with Treponema pallidum, Balb/c and C57Bl mice were injected intradermally with 10 x 10(6) virulent organisms. Serum samples were taken from the mice at weekly intervals after infection and used in the electrophoretic transblotting technique to detect T pallidum and T phagedenis biotype Reiter antigens. The serum samples taken from infected mice at 21, 42, 84, and 126 days after infection recognised two to 15 T pallidum antigens, with a gradual but continual increase in the number of antigens recognised. The same antisera to T pallidum recognised five cross reactive T phagedenis biotype Reiter antigens. Mice injected with 10 x 10(6) heat killed T pallidum organisms failed to recognise T pallidum antigens, as shown by the blotting technique. When mice infected with T pallidum were given antibiotics, the development of the humoral response was interrupted. These experiments indicated that mice respond more slowly than rabbits to T pallidum, which may be because T pallidum is weakly immunogenic in mice.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation / Q000187:drug effects; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D006801:Humans; D007158:Immunologic Techniques; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D010406:Penicillins / Q000494:pharmacology; D010455:Peptides / Q000032:analysis; D011817:Rabbits; D013997:Time Factors; D014208:Treponema / Q000032:analysis; D014210:Treponema pallidum / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology; D014211:Treponemal Infections / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D010406:Penicillins; D010455:Peptides