Comparative cellular immune response study of anthraxin prepared by a modified method with antigens extracted from Bacillus anthracis An'am J.L. Al-Juboury, Zahid S. Aziz and Ghazi M. Al-Khatib

Abstract

The study was aimed to comparison of anthraxin prepared by a modified
method from cell-wall extract of avirulent B .anthracis strain 34F2(Sterne)
with antigens extracted from the same strain as 1/40 antigen, autoclaved 1/40
and the crude toxin. These antigens were compared on their induction of cellmediated
immunity (CMI) in guinea pigs. Animals were immunized and
boosted subcutaneously with the Sterne live veterinary anthrax vaccine. Two
weeks after the booster dose, animals were skin-tested with the four antigens.
Anthraxin was the most active antigen which recorded 16.66 mm a mean of
erythema and 2.3 mm a difference of skin thickness after 24 hours. Both 1/40
and autoclaved 1/40 antigens gave approximately the same results which
were 12.5 mm as a mean of erythema and 2.25 mm skin thickness for the
first one; and 12.8mm ,1.66mm for the other respectively. The toxin showed
the lowest results of erythema 7.8 mm with edema. These antigens were also
compared according to the histological changes on their sites of inoculation.
Marked (typical) picture of delayed type of hypersensitivity (DTH) reaction
was occurred for anthraxin