title: Reactivity of Haemophilus influenzae type b anti-pili antibodies.
abstract: The reactivity of anti-pilus antibodies to native and denatured Haemophilus influenzae b (Hib) pili was studied using rabbit serum prepared against piliated H. influenzae b strain M43 (p+) and adsorbed with its non-piliated variant, strain M42 (p-). The specificity of the adsorbed serum for Hib pili was documented by immunogold electron microscopy and by immunoprecipitation, which revealed the 24 kDa pilin band from strain M43 (p+) that was not seen on strain M42 (p-). In immunodot assays, the anti-pilus antibodies reacted with the native pili present on the outer membrane of strain M43 (p+), but on Western blot assay using denatured outer membranes, the anti-pilus antibodies did not react with the 24 kDa pilin subunit. These data demonstrate that the anti-pilus antibodies in the adsorbed serum recognize conformational epitopes that depend on the tertiary or quaternary structure of Hib pili.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor.
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Gilsdorf
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Forney
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: LiPuma
mesh_terms: D000371:Agglutination; D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D010861:Fimbriae, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D006193:Haemophilus influenzae / Q000276:immunology*; D015151:Immunoblotting; D011817:Rabbits
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins