SCREENING OF SYNTHETIC TREHALOSE 6,6'-DIESTERS AND TREHALOSE 6-MONOESTERS AS POTENTIAL IMMUNOREACTANTS FOR THE SERODIAGNOSIS OF TUBERCULOSIS

The absence of serological cross-reactivity between trehalose 2,3-dies ter (DAT, formerly SL-IV) and synthetic trehalose 6,6'-diesters and tr ehalose 6-monoesters was established by ELISA testing using polyclonal immune sera raised in rabbits sensitized with ''DAT''. From the scree ning of fifteen synthetic trehalose 6,6'- and 6-esters, ''mirror'' pse udo cord factor no. 1, ''mirror'' amides no. 5 and 6, cord factor anal ogues 7 and 8 and trehalose 6-monoesters 10 and 11 were selected for f uture, more extensive serological analysis. Paired comparisons of anal ogues among these fifteen substances showed that serodiagnostic discri mination power was more a function of the carbon chain length of their substituent groups - as well as of their position - than of the ''mir ror'' constitution of the molecules. More exhaustive testing of these seven compounds is needed to select the synthetic product most efficie nt in the ELISA serodiagnosis of tuberculosis.