ANTIGENIC RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE CHEMICALLY-INDUCED MOUSE BLADDER TUMOR AND CORYNEBACTERIUM PARVUM

Abstract

Evidence has accumulated to show that tumor development in humans and animals is influenced by immunological reactions and that these reactions can be enhanced by bacteria. The purpose of this study was to ascertein whether Corynebacterium parvum (C. parvum) shares common antigens with a FANFT induced mouse bladder tumor (MBT) by immunoperoxidase staining and to determine the relationship between common antigenicity and inhibition of tumor grouth.
The antigenic relationship between MBT and C. parvum was confirmed by serum absorption experiments. Antigenic cross-reactivity between MBT and Staphylococcus aurevs was also identified, but no relationship was found between MBT anf Escherichia coli or Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The tumor growth was significantly inhibited with bacteria sharing common antigens compared to growth of cells mixed with antigenically unrelated bacteria. The results sugested that common antigenicity may enhance the immune response of the host and promote tumor regression.