EVALUATION OF THE USE OF 5-MYCOLOYL-ALPHA-ARABINOFURANOSYL-(1-]1')-GLYCEROL IN SERODIAGNOSIS OF MYCOBACTERIUM-AVIUM-INTRACELLULARE COMPLEX INFECTION

5-Mycoloyl-beta-arabinofuranosyl-(1 --> 2)-5-mycoloyl-alpha-arabinofur anosyl-(1 --> 1')-glycerol, an antigenic glycolipid from the Mycobacte rium avium-intracellulare complex (MAC) was examined for its applicabi lity to the serodiagnosis of MAC infection by ELISA. Serum IgM antibod y titres against this glycolipid in healthy controls, pulmonary tuberc ulosis patients and sputum-MAC-culture-negative MAC patients were gene rally below the cutoff point (ELISA-negative), whereas most of the MAC -culture-positive MAC patient sera were ELISA-positive (93.5%) and the ir titres were often very high. Thus, high serum IgM titres against th is glycolipid may be said to imply that the MAC disease is in an activ e phase.