Serologic Studies of Primary Epidemic Typhus and Recrudescent Typhus (Brill-Zinsser Disease)

Abstract

Summary and Conclusions The major Rickettsia prowazeki antibody present in sera obtained from primary epidemic typhus patients between 11 and 58 days after onset of illness is 19 S. This is illustrated by the facts that a) the R. prowazeki agglutination titers of such sera are markedly reduced by contact with the sulfhydryl compound 2-mercaptoethanol and b) when such sera are subjected to electrophoresis and then diffused against a sonic vibrated R. prowazeki antigen, they form typical 19 S γ-globulin precipitin lines. The major R. prowazeki antibody present in sera obtained from Brill-Zinsser disease patients between 8 and 24 days following onset of illness is 7 S. This is illustrated by the facts that a) the R. prowazeki agglutination titers of such sera are unaffected by the sulfhydryl compound 2-mercaptoethanol and b) when such sera are subjected to electrophoresis in agar and then diffused against the supernatant of a sonic vibrated R. prowazeki antigen, they form typical 7 S γ-globulin precipitin lines. Various relationships of 19 S and 7 S antibodies to typhus immune responses are discussed.