title: Recognition of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli virulence determinants by human colostrum and serum antibodies.
abstract: Human colostra and sera collected from Mexican mothers and their children at birth and 6 months thereafter were studied for the presence of antibodies against the bundle-forming pilus and several chromosomal virulence gene products (intimin and secreted proteins EspA and EspB) of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC). Among 21 colostrum samples studied, 76, 71.5, 57, and 47% of them contained immunoglobulin A (IgA) antibodies against EspA, intimin, EspB, and BfpA, respectively. Interestingly, there was a difference in IgG response to EPEC antigens between the sera from neonates and sera from the same children 6 months later. While the number of neonates reacting to Esps and intimin diminished when they reached 6 months of age, those reacting with BfpA increased from 9 to 71%. Intimin from an enterohemorrhagic E. coli strain was also recognized by most of the samples reacting with EPEC intimin. These data suggest that Bfp and Esps elicit an antibody response during the early days of life of neonates and support the value of breast-feeding in areas of the world where bacterial diarrheal infections are endemic.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias Microbiológicas, Instituto de Ciencias, Benemérita Autónoma Universidad de Puebla, Puebla, Mexico.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Parissi-Crivelli
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Parissi-Crivelli
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Girón
mesh_terms: D018829:Adhesins, Bacterial; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D003126:Colostrum / Q000276:immunology*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D005260:Female; D036781:Fimbriae Proteins; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D014774:Virulence
chemical_list: D018829:Adhesins, Bacterial; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; C104901:BfpA protein, E coli; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; C102051:EspA protein, E coli; C073819:eaeA protein, E coli; D036781:Fimbriae Proteins