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Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, January 2000, p. 14-20, Vol. 7, No. 1
Microbiology and Tumorbiology Center,
Karolinska Institute, S-171 77 Stockholm,1
Department of Immunology, Microbiology, Pathology, and
Infectious Diseases, Karolinska Institute, S-141 86 Huddinge,2 and Department of Infectious
Diseases, Örebro Medical Center Hospital, S-701 85 Örebro,3 Sweden
Received 24 March 1999/Returned for modification 28 June
1999/Accepted 27 September 1999
We analyzed the serum antibody responses against two
Staphylococcus aureus fibrinogen binding proteins, the
cell-bound clumping factor (Clf) and an extracellular fibrinogen
binding protein (Efb). The material consisted of 105 consecutive serum
samples from 41 patients suffering from S. aureus
septicemia and 72 serum samples from healthy individuals. An
enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed. Healthy
individuals showed variable levels of antibodies against the studied
antigens, and cutoff levels (upper 95th percentile) against these
antigens were determined. No correlation was seen between serum
antibody levels against Clf and Efb. In acute-phase samples 27% of
patients showed positive antibody levels against Clf and 10% showed
positive levels against Efb, while in convalescent-phase samples 63%
(26 of 41) showed a positive serology against Clf and 49% (20 of 41)
showed a positive serology against Efb. Antibody levels against Efb
were significantly lower in the acute-phase sera than in sera from
healthy individuals (P = 0.002). An antibody response
against Clf was most frequent in patients suffering from osteitis plus
septic arthritis and from endocarditis (80% positive). The antibody
response against Efb appeared to develop later in the course of
disease. A possible biological effect of measured antibodies was
demonstrated with the help of an inhibition ELISA, in which both
high-titer and low-titer sera inhibited the binding of bacteria to
fibrinogen. In conclusion, we have demonstrated in vivo production of
S. aureus fibrinogen binding proteins during deep S. aureus infections and a possible diagnostic and prophylactic role
of the corresponding serum antibodies in such infections.
1071-412X/0/$04.00+0
Copyright © 2000, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Antibody Responses in Patients with Staphylococcal
Septicemia against Two Staphylococcus aureus Fibrinogen
Binding Proteins: Clumping Factor and an Extracellular Fibrinogen
Binding Protein
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Karolinska
Institute, MTC, S-171 77 Stockholm, Sweden. Phone: 46 8 728 7155. Fax:
46 8 33 15 47. E-mail: patricia.colque{at}mtc.ki.se.
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