Nippon Saikingaku Zasshi

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Serological characteristics of strains belonging to Lactobacillus casei var. rhamnosus were examined by double diffusion in agar using antigens extracted with cold trichloroacetic acid (TCA).
Most of the strains had specific antigens, T₁ and T₃, in the cell wall and belonged to serological group C. Two strains lacked the two antigens in spite of the presence of group antigen C. Only two strains, I-138 and YIT 9009, belonged to group B and had antigens T₂ and T₃. They grew more slowly at 45°C than any other strain. Strain YIT 9009 could not ferment lactose, and showed characteristics of L. casei var. alactosus. Two of the typical strains of L. casei var. rhamnosus lacked group antigen B or C.
The cell wall of L. casei var. rhamnosus had rhamnose and glucose, in addition to hexosamine and galactose, as main sugar components. The TCA extracts from the cell wall were also composed of these components. Little galactose was contained in the TCA extracts of two strains having no group antigens.
The TCA extracts prepared from the cell wall were separated by zone electrophoresis or gel filtration with Sephadex G-200 into two antigen fractions, one containing group antigen B or C and the other T antigens. Glucose and galactose were the major components of the antigenic fractions of group C. Especially, glucose occupied more than 80% of the weight. No rhamnose was contained in the fractions. The fraction of T antigens, including T₁ and T₃, of L. casei var. rhamnosus strain C-16 had rhamnose and glucose as sugar components, but not galactose. The antigenic fraction of group B was composed of rhamnose, glucose, and a small amount of galactose.
Inhibition tests with various sugars showed that glucose (β-glucoside) was serologically active on antigen T₃, but that no sugars inhibited reactions between antigen T₁ or T₂ and their antibodies effectively.

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Tests were carried out for delayed-type skin reaction and macrophage migration-inhibition in guinea pigs sensitized with Klebsiella pneumoniae polysaccharide and in the supernatant of splenic cells of the sensitized animals cultured with the antigen. As a result, the polysaccharide elicited a delayed-type skin reaction in the sensitized animals. This reaction reached a maximum when 100μg of the polysaccharide was used. The supernatant of the splenic cell culture induced a delayed-type skin reaction in normal guinea pigs and inhibited the in vitro migration of macrophages collect from the peritoneal cavity of normal animals.

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