Chronic Proliferative Arthritis of Mice Induced by Mycoplasma arthritidis II. Serological Responses of the Host and Effect of Vaccines

Abstract

Complement-fixing antibodies were first detected in mice 7 days after intravenous injection with Mycoplasma arthritidis . Peak titers were observed at 21 days, and high levels of antibody persisted through 293 days. The metabolism-inhibiting antibody response was minimal. On fractionation of mouse sera, only 7 S antibody was detected which first appeared at 12 days after injection and persisted throughout the experiment. In contrast, serum taken from rats injected with M. arthritidis contained predominantly 19 S antibodies in the early stages of the disease which were gradually replaced with 7 S antibodies. The intravenous injection of mice with M. arthritidis culture supernatant fluid had no effect upon their subsequent susceptibility to the arthritogenic effects of M. arthritidis , but this procedure appeared to delay the onset of abscess formation after the subcutaneous injection of M. arthritidis . Formalin-killed cells of M. arthritidis partially protected mice against the arthritis induced by M. arthritidis . Previous infections with M. arthritidis conferred partial immunity against the arthritogenic effects of the organism. Serum taken from convalescent mice at 41 days had a partial protective effect when used to immunize passively normal mice against M. arthritidis . However, rabbit anti- M. arthritidis serum which possessed higher complement-fixing and metabolism-inhibiting antibodies was without significant protective properties.