Open AccessAntibody response to GroEL varies in patients with acute Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection
Author(s) -
Benčina Dušan,
Slavec Brigita,
Narat Mojca
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
fems immunology & medical microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1574-695X
pISSN - 0928-8244
DOI - 10.1016/j.femsim.2004.10.009
Subject(s) - groel , mycoplasma pneumoniae , immunogenicity , biology , mollicutes , mycoplasmataceae , microbiology and biotechnology , antibody , bacterial adhesin , virology , immunoglobulin g , antigen , monoclonal antibody , immunology , respiratory tract infections , mycoplasma , pneumonia , respiratory system , escherichia coli , medicine , gene , biochemistry , anatomy
Although heat‐shock proteins represent major antigens in a wide spectrum of bacterial infections, their immunogenicity is not known for Mycoplasma pneumoniae. M. pneumoniae is a major human respiratory pathogen and it has been suggested that its groEL gene might be dispensable in vitro. Using the specific monoclonal antibody 2C2/C3 we found an abundant synthesis of about 58 kDa GroEL in M. pneumoniae reference strains and in 15 clinical isolates examined at low and higher passages. In patients with acute respiratory disease caused by M. pneumoniae immunoblot analyses showed relatively low prevalence of systemic antibodies against its GroEL protein. Whereas all patients had strong antibody response to the P1 adhesin, only 5 of 29 patients (17.2%) had antibodies to GroEL. Among them, patient RI raised an early and very strong antibody response to GroEL. During the convalescent phase, levels of his serum IgG (mainly IgG 2 ) to GroEL increased and were higher than levels of IgG to P1.