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Appl Environ Microbiol. 1974 October; 28(4): 561-567
Copyright © 1974 American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Determination of Bacteroides melaninogenicus Serogroups by Fluorescent Antibody Staining

Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322

ABSTRACT

Fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled antibody reagents (conjugates) were prepared to one strain of each of the three subspecies of Bacteroides melaninogenicus: B. melaninogenicus subsp. melaninogenicus, B. melaninogenicus subsp. asaccharolyticus, and B. melaninogenicus subsp. intermedius. These three conjugates were specific; thus, they provided a new serological classification of B. melaninogenicus. The three serogroups were designated A, B, and C. Most test strains (98%) isolated from human clinical specimens were assigned to a specific serogroup by immunofluorescence, and the serogroup of these test strains corroborated the biochemical characterization of the three subspecies of B. melaninogenicus. The conjugates failed to cross-react with other anaerobes or aerobes tested. This fluorescent antibody technique provided a more rapid classification of the three subspecies of B. melaninogenicus than did conventional biochemical methods.