Phage stabilization II. the presence of a non-antibody phage-stabilizing factor in normal chicken serum

Abstract

1. 1. Bacteriophage strain T2H will not infect the bacterial host in the presence of indole; however, phage stabilization (infection) in the presence of indole can be restored by the addition of antiserum containing 19S antibodies to T2H phage. 2. 2. Antiserum to T2H phage exhibits decreased stabilizing properties upon storage or upon beat inacrivation at 56°C. 3. 3. Such antiserum can be restored to normal stabilization levels by the addition of fresh normal chicken serum, which contains a stabilizing factor other than 19S antibodies that reacts with the phage-antibody system to increase stabilizing properties. (Normal chiciren serum does not possess stabilizing properties when added to phage in the absence of antibodies specific to phage.) 4. 4. In addition to being sensitive to storage and heat, the stabilizing factor was found to occur in greater amounts in sera from adult chickens than in sera from young chickens, and was demonstrated to be sensitive to treatment with zymosan. 5. 5. The studies suggest that the complement and/or the properdin systems are involved in the phage-andbody reaction.