The serological response to Verocytotoxigenic Escherichia coli in patients with haemolytic uraemic syndrome.
OBJECTIVE
To screen sera from 80 patients with clinical haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) and serum antibodies to the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of Escherichia coli O157, for antibodies to Verocytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli (VTEC) belonging to serogroups O5, O26, O104, O111, O128, O145, O153 and O165.


RESULTS
Sera were screened by an LPS-based ELISA and SDS-PAGE/immunoblotting. None of the 80 sera contained antibodies binding to long-chain LPS of any of the LPS types employed; however, nine sera contained antibodies binding to R3 LPS-core epitopes.


CONCLUSIONS
The presence of patients' serum antibodies to the LPS of E. coli O157, in the absence of antibodies to the LPS of a range of other VTEC, demonstrated that cases of HUS may be caused by strains of O157 VTEC alone and that concurrent infection with multiple strains of VTEC is not a prerequisite for cases of HUS.


CONCLUSIONS
Antibodies to long-chain LPS of VTEC other than O157 were not detected, and so there was no evidence of infection with VTEC belonging to more than one serogroup. The results of immunoassays such as ELISAs and micro-agglutinations must take into consideration antibodies binding to R3 epitopes located on LPS-core.
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Laboratory of Enteric Pathogens, Specialist and Reference Microbiology Division, Health Protection Agency, London, UK. henrik.chart@hpa.org.uk
Perry
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D000293:Adolescent; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood*; D002648:Child; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D019453:Escherichia coli O157 / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006463:Hemolytic-Uremic Syndrome / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology*; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D012703:Serotyping; D022603:Shiga Toxins / Q000378:metabolism*
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D022603:Shiga Toxins