title: Immunoglobulin G directed against toxins A and B of Clostridium difficile in the general population and patients with antibiotic-associated diarrhea.
abstract: Serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) class antibodies directed against toxins A and B of Clostridium difficile were studied using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and a serum-neutralizing assay based on the MRC-5 tissue cytotoxicity assay. Of 185 individuals, 46 sera (24%) in the general population demonstrated IgG antibody, 36 (19.4%) against toxin A and 15 (8.1%) against toxin B. Antibody titer in the general population did not correlate with serum-neutralizing activity. Antibody prevalence fell with age (P = 0.58) over 50 years. Six of ten patients with acute primary episodes of C. difficile-associated diarrhea demonstrated antibody in convalescent-phase sera, predominantly directed against toxin B. Only two (28%) of seven patients with a history of relapsing C. difficile disease had demonstrable antibody.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor.
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Bacon
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fekety
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000276:immunology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D016360:Clostridioides difficile / Q000276:immunology*; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000276:immunology; D004761:Enterocolitis, Pseudomembranous / Q000276:immunology*; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000276:immunology*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009500:Neutralization Tests; D012008:Recurrence; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D004768:Enterotoxins; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; C041348:tcdA protein, Clostridium difficile; C031815:toxB protein, Clostridium difficile