Gel diffusion technique in antigen-antibody reactions of Actinomyces species and "anaerobic diphtheroids".

King, Sylvia (Hektoen Institute, Chicago, Ill.) and Esther Meyer. Gel diffusion technique in antigen-antibody reactions of Actinomyces species and "anaerobic diphtheroids." J. Bacteriol. 85:186-190. 1963.-The Ouchterlony agar gel diffusion test was used to establish antigenic patterns produced by Actinomyces israelii, A. bovis, and A. naeslundii, as compared with those of "anaerobic diphtheroids." The organisms studied included Actinomyces species isolated from cases of human and bovine actinomycosis, and from the normal oral cavity of human volunteers. The "anaerobic diphtheroids" were obtained from a variety of clinical conditions. A. israelii was serologically distinct from A. bovis, and A. naeslundii shared a minor component with the other two Actinomyces species. There were no cross reactions between the "anaerobic diphtheroids" and any of the Actinomyces species.