Antibody production in milk serum after antigen instillation of the goat mammary gland. IX. Sham infection studies with Neisseria meningitudis L.C.D.C. 608B.

Specific immune globulins have been prepared in goat milk in response to the intramammary gland instillation of Neisseria meningitidis 608, serogroup B strain. Isolation, purification, and characterization of the goat whey by gel filtration, electrophoresis, and analytical ultracentrifugation demonstrated that the active immune component resided in the IgA class of globulins, specifically 9.2-S IgA. The potential of the lactating mammary gland as a "biological factory" for the large-scale production of diagnostic antiserum to killed bacterial whole cell antigen is described.