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Complex formation between Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide O antigen and capsular K antigen as detected by immunoelectrophoresis
Author(s) -
ØRskov FRITS,
ØRskov IDA
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
apmis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.909
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1600-0463
pISSN - 0903-4641
DOI - 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1991.tb01235.x
Subject(s) - escherichia coli , lipopolysaccharide , antigen , microbiology and biotechnology , serotype , immunoprecipitation , polysaccharide , immunoelectrophoresis , bacteria , enterobacteriaceae , chemistry , biology , escherichia , antibody , biochemistry , immunology , gene , genetics
Many Escherichia coli of serotypes commonly found in the normal intestine and in extraintestinal diseases, and having capsular antigens of the low molecular group called group II, will, in simple saline extracts, produce complexes between some or all of the lipopolysaccharide molecules and some of the polysaccharide K molecules. Non‐complex‐forming and complex‐forming strains with the same O and K can be found. The complexes are thermostable but are disrupted by some detergents. O‐K complex formation may lead to misinterpretation of immunoprecipitation results; one example is the counter current technique used for K determination of E. coli. In this technique O antigen lipopolysaccharide may, when complexed to K polysaccharide, mimic a K antigen. The possible implications of O‐K complex formation during the infection process, especially for antibody formation, need to be examined.