Recall of acquired cellular resistance in mice by antigens from killed Brucella.

Mice infected with Brucella abortus 19 were challenged intravenously with Listeria monocytogenes. Spleen assays to determine the number of viable Listeria cells present revealed that these mice were highly resistant to Listeria when challenged on day 17 of the Brucella infection. Resistance was absent in mice challenged on the 5th day and was declining in mice challenged on the 33rd day. Resistance could not be detected by day 49 of the Brucella infection but could be recalled by the injection of antigens from smooth B. abortus 2308. Thus, extracted antigens appeared to be as effective in recall as the live cells used in earlier studies. Similar injections of extracts from rough B. abortus 45/20, or from B. ovis REO 198, were also effective in recalling resistance; this suggests that the smooth surface agglutinogen may be relatively unimportant in recall.