Improvement in specificity of immunofluorescent reagents for identifying Streptococcus mutans by DEAE-cellulose-bacterial cell column immunosorption methods.

We have described a new method for preparing bacterial cell columns, in which DEAE-cellulose is used as the cell support material. The columns can be used to isolate pure antibody or to remove cross-reacting antibodies from immune IgG. The columns are remarkable stable, can be scaled up to any desired dimensions, and should be suitable for large-scale production of highly specific serological reagents. The method is practical for obtaining serotype-specific and polyvalent IF reagents for identifying S. mutans organisms. However, the method could also be used as a tool for sophisticated studies of antigenic relationships that exist among these and other taxonomic groups of microorganisms.