title: Cross-reacting lipopolysaccharide antigens in Legionella pneumophila serogroups 1 to 14.
abstract: Immunological cross-reactions among Legionella species were investigated with sonicated, proteinase K-digested cell lysates. The antigens separated by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis were either analyzed for lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) by silver staining or transferred to nitrocellulose membranes for serological characterization with rabbit antibodies directed against Legionella pneumophila serogroups 1 and 5. When antiserum prepared against serogroup 5 was used to probe the LPSs from L. pneumophila serogroups 1 to 14, the antibodies recognized a common epitope harbored by all L. pneumophila serogroups but not by other Legionella species or by the gram-negative bacteria tested as controls. Hence, the serogroup 5 antiserum correctly identified all serogroups of L. pneumophila tested in the LPS immunoblot assay. Moreover, the silver-stained profiles of the isolated LPSs revealed characteristic patterns allowing the identification of the individual serogroups of L. pneumophila.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Robert Koch-Institute, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jürgens
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Fehrenbach
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis*; D003429:Cross Reactions; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D015151:Immunoblotting; D016952:Legionella pneumophila / Q000145:classification / Q000276:immunology*; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000032:analysis* / Q000276:immunology; D011817:Rabbits; D012703:Serotyping
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides