Phosphorylcholine-containing antigens in bacteria from the mouth and respiratory tract.
Phosphorylcholine (PC)-containing antigens were sought in 269 bacterial isolates from the mouth and respiratory tract by an enzyme immunoassay method. Only 41 (15%) isolates were PC-positive and of these 29 (70%) were strains of Haemophilus influenzae. Other species that produced positive results included two of five isolates of Gemella haemolysans, two of five isolates of Micrococcus spp., and a single strain each of Bacillus sp., Corynebacterium jeikeium, Lactococcus sp. and H. parainfluenzae. The presence of PC-containing antigens in H. influenzae may be an important source of cross-reaction in antigen detection techniques that detect the C-polysaccharide antigen of Streptococcus pneumoniae in respiratory specimens and would result in false positive results.
Department of Microbiology, Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, London.
S H
SH
Gillespie
S
S
Ainscough
A
A
Dickens
J
J
Lewin
D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006094:Gram-Positive Bacteria / Q000276:immunology; D006193:Haemophilus influenzae / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D010767:Phosphorylcholine / Q000032:analysis*; D012137:Respiratory System / Q000382:microbiology*; D012463:Saliva / Q000382:microbiology*; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000276:immunology
D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D010767:Phosphorylcholine