Humoral reactions in human endocarditis due to Streptococcus bovis: evidence for a common S bovis antigen.
Humoral reactions to native culture filtrates of Streptococcus bovis were studied in patients with endocarditis by means of two-dimensional crossed immunoelectrophoresis. Serum from patients with S bovis endocarditis produced eight different precipitin arcs. Lex antigen cross-reacted with sera from patients with viridans streptococcal endocarditis, and TA antigen cross-reacted with ribitol teichoic acid-positive sera from patients with Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia. One antigen, common (c), was immunoreactive with all 10 sera from S bovis-infected patients. Antibody to this antigen was not found in sera from 77 patients with gram-positive bacteremia or in 29 other control sera. Common (c) antigen was found in all strains of S bovis isolated from patients. Rabbits immunized with formalinized S bovis cells of human origin also produced antibody to common (c) antigen. Common (c) may be an important antigen of S bovis and may in fact define this organism serologically.
D000368:Aged; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis*; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis*; D004697:Endocarditis, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007123:Immunoelectrophoresis, Two-Dimensional; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011233:Precipitin Tests; D018805:Sepsis / Q000276:immunology; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000276:immunology; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D013291:Streptococcus / Q000276:immunology*; D013682:Teichoic Acids / Q000276:immunology
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D013682:Teichoic Acids