Abstract
Immunological properties of a preparation of a newly synthesized β-lactam antibiotic, 6059-S, were examined.Since the preparation contained a very minute amount of its decarboxylated form, investigation was also done with this contaminant.
(1) Immunogenicity of the unconjugated 6059-S and its decarboxylated product was compard with that of CET and PCG in the mouse and guinea pig.So far as tested, both 6059-S and its decarboxylated product failed to produce antibodies under experimental conditions where definite antibody formation to CET and PCG was observed.
(2) Neither 6059-S nor its decarboxylated contaminant lacked the eliciting antigenicity, since they were incapable of eliciting PCA in animals presensitized with the immune sera to their BGG conjugates. In addition, intravenous injection of the unconjugated antibiotics simultaneously with the homologous multivalent elicitors produced marked PCA inhibition, presumably by competing with the elicitors.
(3) Immunological cross-reactivity among 6059-S, its decarboxylated product and some penicillins and cephalosporins was determined by means of PCA, active anaphylactic shock and precipitin reaction using the antibiotic-BGG conjugates as the immunogens and the OVA or BSA conjugates as the eliciting antigens.In all the reaction systems, 6059-S and its decarboxylated preparation did not cross-react with any one of the penicillins and cephalosporins tested.“One way” cross-reactivity was observed between 6059-S and its derivative. While the antiserum to 6059-S BGG provoked crossreaction with the decarboxylated hapten, the antiserum to the BGG conjugate of the decarboxylated 6059-S failed to react with 6059-S.
(4) 6059-S and its derivative never produced the in vitro direct COOMBS'reaction in the'human blood even at a high concentration of 40 mg/ml.
In all these experimental measures of humoral immunological reactivity, 6059-S preparation was inactive.
