This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Elkins, K L Articles by Baker, P J Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Elkins, K L Articles by Baker, P J

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Infect Immun. 1987 December; 55(12): 3085-3092

Prior exposure to subimmunogenic amounts of some bacterial lipopolysaccharides induces specific immunological unresponsiveness.

Laboratory of Microbial Immunity, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, Maryland 20892.

ABSTRACT

Pretreatment (priming) of BALB/c mice with a low (subimmunogenic) dose of Escherichia coli O113 lipopolysaccharide (LPS) generates immunological memory 7 to 30 days later; the direct (immunoglobulin M) plaque-forming cell (PFC) responses produced after subsequent immunization with an optimal dose are 4 to 20 times greater than those of unprimed mice. By contrast, priming with a low dose of E. coli O55 LPS, followed by immunization with an optimally immunogenic dose 2 to 30 days later, resulted in a significantly reduced antibody response. Similar results were obtained with Serratia marcescens LPS. Dose-response studies indicated that such unresponsiveness is antigen specific and could be induced with subimmunogenic amounts of LPS. Priming reduced the magnitude of the PFC response to all immunizing doses of LPS tested. Unresponsiveness is not due to (i) an alteration in the time course of the PFC response or to (ii) a change in the isotype of the anti-LPS antibody produced after priming and immunization.