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Infect Immun, March 1998, p. 974-979, Vol. 66, No. 3
0019-9567/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Immunoglobulins to Group A Streptococcal Surface
Molecules Decrease Adherence to and Invasion of Human Pharyngeal
Cells
U.
Fluckiger,1,
K. F.
Jones,2 and
V. A.
Fischetti1,*
Laboratory of Bacterial Pathogenesis and
Immunology, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York
10021,1 and
SIGA Pharmaceuticals, New
York, New York 100222
Received 15 October 1997/Returned for modification 3 December
1997/Accepted 23 December 1997
The M protein is one of the most important virulence factors of
group A streptococci (Streptococcus pyogenes) and may play an important role in the first steps of streptococcal infection. Since
acute pharyngitis is a frequently occurring infectious disease caused
by these bacteria, we wished to know whether antibodies to the M
protein or other surface components inhibit adherence and
internalization of streptococci to pharyngeal cells. We investigated the role of whole human secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA), M6 protein-specific sIgA, and M6 protein-specific serum IgG in the inhibition of streptococcal adherence and internalization to cultured human pharyngeal cells. S. pyogenes D471, which produces a
type 6 M protein (M+), and its isogenic M-negative (M
) derivative JRS75 were tested. Purified whole sIgA, M protein-specific sIgA, and
sIgA preabsorbed with M protein were able to decrease significantly the
adherence of streptococci to pharyngeal cells. Purified IgG against the
M6 protein did not diminish the attachment of streptococci to the
pharyngeal cells but did reduce internalization. Thus, our data suggest
that secretory IgA may play a key role in preventing streptococcal
infection at mucosal surfaces by blocking adherence while
affinity-purified anti-M protein-specific IgG blocks epitopes responsible for invasion.
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Laboratory of
Bacterial Pathogenesis and Immunology, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Ave., New York, NY 10021. Phone: (212) 327-8166. Fax: (212) 327-7584. E-mail: vaf{at}rockvax.rockefeller.edu.

Present address: Dept. Innere Medizin, Abteilung für
Infektiologie, Kantonsspital Basel, Basel CH-403, Switzerland.
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