The chemical and antiviral properties of the somatic antigen of Phase II Shigella sonnei.

1. The somatic antigen of Phase II Shigella sonnei can be isolated by extracting phenol-killed microorganisms with water. This substance inactivates all T phages to which this bacillus is susceptible. 2. The Phase II antigen is constituted from a protein and a phosphorylated lipocarbohydrate. The major portion of the protein component can be removed by digestion with pancreatin. The enzymatically degraded antigen thus obtained can be further dissociated into its protein and lipocarbohydrate components by treatment with 90 per cent phenol. Glucose, galactose, glucosamine, and an aldoheptose have been identified as the monosaccharide constituents of the lipocarbohydrate.