Open AccessBactericidal antibody response to Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B in patients with bacterial meningitis: effect of immunization with an outer membrane protein vaccine
Author(s) -
Milagres Lucimar G.,
Gorla Maria Cecília O.,
Rebelo Maria Cristina,
Barroso David E.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
fems immunology & medical microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1574-695X
pISSN - 0928-8244
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-695x.2000.tb01493.x
Subject(s) - neisseria meningitidis , microbiology and biotechnology , antibody , meningococcal vaccine , vaccination , virology , titer , meningitis , immunization , group b , antibody titer , antigen , biology , immunology , medicine , bacteria , genetics , psychiatry
We evaluated the bactericidal antibody response to Neisseria meningitidis serogroup B in convalescent patients ( n =65 ) from bacterial meningitis. Patients infected with B meningococci were stratified according to their vaccination status (Cuban BC vaccine) into group 1 (immunized) ( n =12 ) and group 2 (non‐immunized) ( n =15 ). The results suggested that antibody titers ≥2 (log 2 ) indicate a specific immune response to N. meningitidis . In group 1, 64% of patients had a significant antibody titer (≥2) in their acute sera against a B:4:P1.15 strain, compared to only 21% of group 2 patients. All patients from group 1 without bactericidal antibodies in their acute sera had a significant increase (at least 2‐fold increase in log 2 titers) in antibody titers in their convalescent sera, in contrast, to only 27% of patients from group 2 ( P =0.06 ). Using mutant strains lacking OMP1 or OMP5, it was shown that OMP1 was an important antigen recognized by immunized patients but not by non‐immunized patients.