Open AccessStructural relationship between the polyagglutinable antigen and the core polysaccharide of Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Author(s) -
Marx A.,
Salageanu A.,
Meitert E.,
Mayer H.,
Krauss J.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.1988.tb02497.x
Subject(s) - pseudomonas aeruginosa , microbiology and biotechnology , lipopolysaccharide , antigen , antibody , hemagglutination , pseudomonadaceae , strain (injury) , chemistry , biology , bacteria , immunology , genetics , anatomy
It has been observed that each strain of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa species harbours the so‐called polyagglutinable antigen (PA). Some strains may produce it in a form which is linked to the core moiety of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and this type of PA can thus be detected by passive haemagglutination using the isolated LPS as coating antigen. Other strains synthesize PA exclusively in a free form, which is also coextractable with LPS, its presence can, however, be demonstrated by the haemagglutination inhibition test. From a polyagglutinable strain of P. aeruginosa an R‐type LPS was isolated having the core‐linked PA. This LPS preparation was highly immunogenic with regard to its PA moiety. The core‐bound PA seems to exert an immunosuppression on the core region, hence, the polyagglutinable strains isolated from cystic fibrosis patients only engender anti‐PA antibodies, whereas antibodies against both, side chain and core region of LPS, are not engendered. The mucoid exopolysacharides also contains the PA which could possibly play an important role in the patient by protecting P. aeruginosa cells against anti‐PA antibodies.