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Infection and Immunity, April 1999, p. 1922-1928, Vol. 67, No. 4
Bacteriology Division, U.S. Army Medical
Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, Frederick, Maryland
21702-5011
Received 26 May 1998/Returned for modification 13 August
1998/Accepted 12 January 1999
There is limited information concerning the nature and extent of
the immune response to the virulence determinants of
Yersinia pestis during the course of plague infection. In
this study, we evaluated the humoral immune response of mice that
survived lethal Y. pestis aerosol challenge after
antibiotic treatment. Such a model may replicate the clinical situation
in humans and indicate which virulence determinants are expressed in
vivo. Immunoglobulin G enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
and immunoblotting were performed by using purified, recombinant
antigens including F1, V antigen, YpkA, YopH, YopM, YopB, YopD, YopN,
YopE, YopK, plasminogen activator protease (Pla), and pH 6 antigen as
well as purified lipopolysaccharide. The major antigens
recognized by murine convalescent sera were F1, V antigen, YopH, YopM,
YopD, and Pla. Early treatment with antibiotics tended to
reduce the immune response and differences between antibiotic treatment
regimens were noted. These results may indicate that only some
virulence factors are expressed and/or immunogenic during infection.
This information may prove useful for selecting potential vaccine
candidates and for developing improved serologic diagnostic assays.
0019-9567/99/$04.00+0
Immune Response to Yersinia Outer
Proteins and Other Yersinia pestis Antigens after
Experimental Plague Infection in Mice


and
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Bacteriology
Division, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1425 Porter St., Frederick, MD 21702-5011. Phone: (301) 619-7341. Fax:
(301) 619-2152. E-mail: friedlan{at}ncifcrf.gov.
Present address: Department of Pathology & Area Lab Services,
Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Landstuhl, Germany.
Present address: IDEXX Laboratories, Inc., Westbrook, ME 04092.
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