Observations on receptor specific proteins. II. Haemagglutination and haemagglutination-inhibition reactions of Clostridium botulinum types A, C, D and E haemagglutinins

Abstract

The haemagglutinins of Clostridium botulinum types A, C and D have been studied. A haemagglutinin of Cl. botulinum type E could not be demonstrated. Haemagglutination (H) tests, using normal and enzyme-treated cells, and haemagglutination—inhibition (H/I) tests, with a panel of sugars, amino-acids, sera and other biological substances were performed. The haemagglutinins fall into two distinct categories (i) type A and (ii) types C and D. Whereas type C or D haemagglutinins were only inhibited by certain biological substances, type A haemagglutinin was also weakly inhibited by D-galactose and more strongly by Pneumococcus type XIV polysaccharide, which contains D-galactose as a terminal sugar. Types C and D could be distinguished from each other by H and H/I tests.