title: Effect of prior experimental human enteropathogenic Escherichia coli infection on illness following homologous and heterologous rechallenge.
abstract: Two studies of adult volunteers were performed to determine whether prior enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) infection confers protective immunity against rechallenge. In the first study, a naive control group and volunteers who had previously ingested an O55:H6 strain were fed an O127:H6 strain. In the second study, a control group and volunteers who had previously ingested either the O127:H6 strain or an isogenic eae deletion mutant of that strain were challenged with the homologous wild-type strain. There was no significant effect of prior infection on the incidence of diarrhea in either study. However, in the homologous-rechallenge study, disease was significantly milder in the group previously challenged with the wild-type strain. Disease severity was inversely correlated with the level of prechallenge serum immunoglobulin G against the O127 lipopolysaccharide. These studies indicate that prior EPEC infection can reduce disease severity upon homologous challenge. Further studies may require the development of new model systems.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore 21201, USA. mdonnenb@umabnet.ab.umd.edu
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Donnenberg
authors.forename: C O
authors.initials: CO
authors.lastname: Tacket
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Losonsky
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Frankel
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Nataro
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dougan
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Levine
mesh_terms: D018829:Adhesins, Bacterial; D000328:Adult; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D007110:Immunity, Active; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood; D019081:O Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D055502:Secondary Prevention; D017384:Sequence Deletion; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014838:Volunteers
chemical_list: D018829:Adhesins, Bacterial; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D007070:Immunoglobulin A; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D019081:O Antigens; C073819:eaeA protein, E coli