title: Shigella lipopolysaccharide antibodies in pediatric populations.
abstract: Shigellosis is the most common cause of bacterial dysentery. To study the specific immunity to the two major groups causing shigellosis, we assayed antibodies to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) by enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay to both Shigella sonnei and Shigella flexneri 2a serotypes in the following populations: (1) women immediately after delivery and their infants to assess the transfer of passive immunity by placenta and the presence of secretory antibodies in breast milk; (2) children of different ages; and (3) the kinetics of antibody production in pediatric patients, who had culture-proved shigellosis. The sera of these women showed variable concentrations of antibodies of all three isotypes to LPS of S. sonnei and S. flexneri 2a. These serotype-specific antibodies were not cross-reactive. Transfer of IgG anti-LPS across the placenta was significantly correlated with concentration of the specific antibody in the mother (S. sonnei, r = 0.96; S. flexneri, r = 0.84). Varying concentrations of anti-LPS IgA were present in colostrum, which was correlated with serum anti-LPS IgA titers in the case of S. sonnei (r = 0.44; P < 0.05) but not S. flexneri (r = 0.17). Healthy children between the ages of 6 months and 4 years in our population had undetectable or relatively low titers of anti-S. sonnei IgG. More children had detectable antibody titers to S. flexneri 2a than to S. sonnei. The relatively high concentrations of these natural antibodies are particularly noteworthy because there is a far lower incidence (< 10% of patients) with S. flexneri than with S. sonnei disease in this population.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Samuel Jared Kushnick Pediatric Immunology Laboratory, Department of Pediatrics, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel.
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Passwell
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Freier
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Shor
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Farzam
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Block
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lison
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Shiff
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ashkenazi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004405:Dysentery, Bacillary / Q000276:immunology*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007112:Immunity, Maternally-Acquired; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000032:analysis; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000032:analysis; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000032:analysis; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000276:immunology; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012763:Shigella flexneri / Q000276:immunology*; D012764:Shigella sonnei / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D007070:Immunoglobulin A; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial