title: Western blot analysis of anti-Escherichia coli serum immunoglobulins in women susceptible to recurrent urinary tract infections.
abstract: The basis for increased susceptibility of some women to recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) is not clear; increased susceptibility may be due to host factors that promote increased colonization of the vaginal and bladder mucosa with uropathogens or to decreased immune responses to uropathogens. Anti-Escherichia coli antibody specificities in sera from UTI patients and controls were comprehensively assessed to determine whether UTI-susceptible and -nonsusceptible women differed in their capacities to make antibodies to individual E. coli antigens. Sera were analyzed by one-dimensional Western blots using antigens prepared from uropathogenic E. coli. The results showed that sera from subjects without a history of recurrent UTIs contained IgG antibodies to specific E. coli antigens more often than did sera from UTI-susceptible patients. These data suggest that hyporesponsiveness to specific E. coli antigens may be linked to increased UTI susceptibility in some women.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Wisconsin Medical School, Madison, USA.
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Hopkins
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xing
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Dahmer
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Balish
authors.forename: D T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Uehling
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood*; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D015153:Blotting, Western; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007136:Immunoglobulins / Q000097:blood*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012008:Recurrence; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D007136:Immunoglobulins