Identification of a novel antigen of pathogenic Leptospira spp. that reacted with convalescent mice sera.
The virulence of leptospires isolated from human patients against C3H/HeJ mice was investigated. Infection with clinical isolates from patients with severe leptospirosis was lethal to C3H/HeJ mice, suggesting that C3H/HeJ mice are suitable as an acute lethal model of severe leptospirosis. Using this model, a novel antigen of pathogenic Leptospira spp. (named LAg42), which reacted with convalescent mice sera, was identified. LAg42 is a 42 kDa inner-membrane protein and its immunogenic region is located in the C-terminal region. The gene for LAg42 is conserved among pathogenic leptospires but not among non-pathogenic leptospires, which suggests its involvement in virulence.
Koizumi
Nobuo
N
Department of Bacteriology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1-23-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan.
Watanabe
Haruo
H
Department of Bacteriology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, 1-23-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8640, Japan.
D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D003289:Convalescence; D006224:Cricetinae; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D005798:Genes, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007106:Immune Sera / Q000276:immunology*; D007919:Leptospira / Q000276:immunology* / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D007922:Leptospirosis / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D014774:Virulence
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D007106:Immune Sera