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Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, November 2001, p. 1110-1114, Vol. 8, No. 6
Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty
of Medicine, University of Zimbabwe, Medical School, Avondale,
Harare, Zimbabwe,1 and Department of
Microbiology, School of Medicine, Norwegian University of Science
and Technology, N-7006 Trondheim, Norway2
Received 5 March 2001/Returned for modification 13 June
2001/Accepted 17 August 2001
Group B streptococci (GBS) express strain-variable and
surface-localized proteins, which are important serotype markers and targets of protective antibodies. These include the c
1071-412X/01/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/CDLI.8.6.1110-1114.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Antibodies against Streptococcus
agalactiae Proteins c
and R4 in Sera from
Pregnant Women from Norway and Zimbabwe
and R4 proteins, one or the other of which is expressed by
approximately 75% of clinical GBS isolates. These proteins have been
considered vaccine candidates. In this study, the c
and
R4 proteins were extracted by trypsin digestion of GBS and purified by
sequential precipitation with trichloroacetic acid and ammonium sulfate
followed by gel filtration chromatography. The proteins were used as
antigens in an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to
measure the levels of c
- and R4-reactive antibodies in
sera from pregnant women from Norway (n = 100) and
from Zimbabwe (n = 124). Antibody levels in the
Norwegian group of women were significantly higher than in the
Zimbabwean group, and a higher proportion of the Norwegian women
contained appreciable levels of antibodies against both proteins. The
antibodies traversed the placental barrier. With individual sera, a
significant correlation between the anti-c
and anti-R4
antibody levels was observed and each of the two protein antigens
effectively competed for human serum antibodies both against itself and
against the other antigen. Inhibition ELISA results demonstrated
specificity for each of the proteins of immune antibodies raised in
rabbits. These results demonstrate that (i) the majority of women of
childbearing age have antibodies against c
and R4, (ii)
the levels of these antibodies differ among pregnant women in different
parts of the world, and (iii) the normal human serum antibodies may
target a common c
and R4 protein site, whereas immune
antibodies targeted a different site(s) specific for each protein.
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of
Microbiology, School of Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, N-7006 Trondheim, Norway. Phone: (47) 73868484. Fax: (47)
73867765. E-mail: Johan.Meland{at}medisin.ntnu.no.
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