ANTIGEN C PREPARATION FOR REDUCTION OR PREVENTION OF DENTAL CARIES;PRODUCTION BY CULTURING STREPTOCOCCUS MUTANS;PHARMACEUTICAL COMPOSITIONS COMPRISING ANTIGEN C OR ANTIBODIES THERETO

摘要

An antigenic protein, termed antigen C, present on the cell walls and in cultures of Streptococcus mutans, especially genetic group I (serotypes c, e and f) is separated from other antigenic proteins, notably those which cross react with heart tissue, to give an antigen preparation which may be used as a vaccine or to raise antibodies for use in protecting against dental caries. …??Antigen C is destroyed or extracted from the cell walls by treatment with boiling aqueous sodium dodecyl sulphate (10 gm per litre) for 10 minutes. It has a molecular weight of 70,000 +/- 5,000 and an isoelectric point of 4.45 +/- 0.24. It is destroyed by proteolytic enzyme and does not cross react with heart tissue. …??The antigen also occurs in the culture filtrate and/or cell extract and may readily be separated from these sources by affinity chromatography on immobilised antibody.