Antibody response to sulfolipids in experimental tuberculosis.

Live Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv, when injected into guinea pigs, induced antibodies to sulfolipids whereas antibodies were not detected in animals injected with heat killed cells. The antibody titre was found to be related to the degree of infection. A significant decrease in the titre was noted after streptomycin treatment, suggesting that antibodies were produced in response to an increasing bacterial load that occurred as the infection progressed.