A new method for assessment of serum-induced damage to E. coli.
A simple and rapid spectrophotometric assay for the kinetic evaluation of serum-induced damage to E. coli is described, based on changes in the optical density (OD) of a bacterial suspension. Exposure of antibody-coated E. coli to human absorbed serum results in a diphasic response, namely an increase in OD, which reaches a maximum at about 17 min and is followed by a progressive decrease in OD until a minimum value is reached after 45 min. The increase and the decrease in OD are related to bacterial death and bacterial lysis, respectively.
D001770:Blood Bactericidal Activity; D004306:Dose-Response Relationship, Immunologic; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D013053:Spectrophotometry / Q000379:methods