| pubmed-article:3117732 | pubmed:abstractText | Since inactivated vaccines have proved disappointing in preventing Mycoplasma pneumoniae disease, we have initiated studies to identify protective immunogens as candidates for an acellular, purified component vaccine. A cell-free extract was prepared, and was shown to have hemagglutination, attachment inhibition, and ciliostasis activities. Ciliostatic activity in hamster tracheal organ cultures was dependent on the time of incubation and on the amount of added extract. The ciliostatic factor was resistant to boiling and to trypsin and chymotrypsin digestion. When administered intratracheally to Golden Syrian hamsters, the extract induced lung lesions with histopathologic characteristics similar to those caused by virulent M. pneumoniae infection. Thus, in addition to attachment and ciliostatic factors, the extract contains factors that induce inflammatory responses in hamster lungs and cause cytotoxic damage to lung tissues. | lld:pubmed |
