RT Journal Article SR Electronic(1) A1 Acker, G. A1 Schmidt, G. A1 Mayer, H.YR 1982 T1 Accessibility of Enterobacterial Common Antigen to Antibodies in Encapsulated and Non-capsulated S and R Forms of Escherichia coli JF Microbiology, VO 128 IS 7 SP 1577 OP 1583 DO https://doi.org/10.1099/00221287-128-7-1577 PB Microbiology Society, SN 1465-2080, AB Antiserum specific for the enterobacterial ‘common antigen’ (ECA) was obtained by absorbing a rabbit ECA antiserum with an ECA-negative mutant. Accessibility of ECA to antibodies in encapsulated and non-capsulated S and R forms derived from Escherichia coli O8: K27 was studied using the indirect immunoferritin technique (whole-mount electron microscopy). The number of ferritin particles on the bacterial surface decreased in the order, non-capsulated R > encapsulated R > non-capsulated S > encapsulated S form, indicating that both the O and K antigens partly cover ECA on the surface of the outer membrane. Whole-mount and thin-section electron microscopy showed that ferritin was evenly distributed on the surface of R mutants, whereas it formed clusters on the S forms., UL https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/micro/10.1099/00221287-128-7-1577