title: Antibody response to GroEL varies in patients with acute Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection.
abstract: Although heat-shock proteins represent major antigens in a wide spectrum of bacterial infections, their immunogenicity is not known for Mycoplasma pneumoniae. M. pneumoniae is a major human respiratory pathogen and it has been suggested that its groEL gene might be dispensable in vitro. Using the specific monoclonal antibody 2C2/C3 we found an abundant synthesis of about 58 kDa GroEL in M. pneumoniae reference strains and in 15 clinical isolates examined at low and higher passages. In patients with acute respiratory disease caused by M. pneumoniae immunoblot analyses showed relatively low prevalence of systemic antibodies against its GroEL protein. Whereas all patients had strong antibody response to the P1 adhesin, only 5 of 29 patients (17.2%) had antibodies to GroEL. Among them, patient RI raised an early and very strong antibody response to GroEL. During the convalescent phase, levels of his serum IgG (mainly IgG2) to GroEL increased and were higher than levels of IgG to P1.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Sciences, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, 1230 Domzale, Slovenia.
authors.forename: Dusan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bencina
authors.forename: Brigita
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Slavec
authors.forename: Mojca
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Narat
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D018829:Adhesins, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000097:blood; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D018834:Chaperonin 60 / Q000276:immunology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009177:Mycoplasma pneumoniae / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D011019:Pneumonia, Mycoplasma / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D018829:Adhesins, Bacterial; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D018834:Chaperonin 60; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; C035471:adhesin, Mycoplasma pneumoniae