Chemical studies on cellular components of Bordetella pertussis. I. Purification and properties of agglutinogen.

Onoue, Kaoru, (Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan), Masayasu Kitagawa, and Yuichi Yamamura. Chemical studies on cellular components of Bordetella pertussis. I. Purification and properties of agglutinogen. J. Bacteriol. 82:648-656. 1961.-A method is described for the preparation of the agglutinogen of Hemophilus pertussis in phase I by methanol precipitation and ion-exchange chromatography. High homogeneity of this agglutinogen was evidenced by chromatography, but a trace of impurity was detected by ultracentrifugal analysis and by an agar gel diffusion test.The agglutinogen produced an allergic skin reaction in rabbits which had been immunized with whole phase I organisms. Chemical studies indicate that the agglutinogen should be a simple protein in nature. The approximate molecular weight was determined to be 10,000 by Archibald's method.