Evaluation of serologic and cellular immune responses of cattle to a nonlipopolysaccharide antigen from Brucella abortus.

Cows naturally infected with Brucella abortus developed antibody (Ab) responses to a nonlipopolysaccharide antigen (NLA) purified from B abortus strain 1119-3. Sera from strain 19-vaccinated cows did not have detectable amounts of Ab. Weak lymphoproliferative responses to NLA were observed in blood mononuclear cell suspensions obtained from infected cows. There was no evidence of NLA-specific lymphoproliferation in cell suspensions from healthy cows. Nonlipopolysaccharide antigen binding to bovine blood mononuclear cells was observed by antigen-consumption assays and direct binding of radiolabeled antigen. Cells from infected cows bound less NLA than did cells from healthy cows when assays were conducted with intact blood mononuclear cell preparations (monocytes plus lymphocytes). Monocytes obtained from any group did not bind NLA. Purified B lymphocytes from infected and healthy vaccinated cows bound about 3 times more NLA than did T lymphocytes, but there were no apparent differences between the 2 groups in extent of binding. Results of the study indicate that bovine lymphocytes have binding sites for a NLA purified from B abortus strain 1119-3.