Seric and secretory antibodies reactive to alpha, beta and gamma intimins of Escherichia coli in healthy Brazilian adults.
Intimin is essential for attaching and effacing lesions by pathogens such as enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) and enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC), and the antigenic polymorphism of intimin determines distinct subtypes. Our aim was to investigate the presence of immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgA antibodies reactive to alpha, beta and gamma intimins in serum and colostrum from healthy Brazilian adults. We found seric IgG and secretory IgA antibodies reactive to conserved and variable regions of alpha, beta and gamma intimins and a positive correlation between the concentrations of these antibodies in both serum and colostrum that suggested cross reactivity among anti-intimin antibodies, as was confirmed by immunoblotting and absorption. The concentrations of anti-conserved region antibodies were higher than those of variable region antibodies. The presence of antibodies reactive to EHEC antigens could result from contact with EPEC or with other bacteria of the environment even though this bacterium is not frequent in Brazil, and suggests possible protection against EHEC.
Zapata-Quintanilla
Lucy Beatriz
LB
Laboratório de Imunogenética, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
Tino-De-Franco
Milene
M
Nuñez
Silvia Patricia
SP
Carbonare
Cristiane Barros
CB
Vulcano
Amanda Bardella
AB
Carbonare
Solange Barros
SB
D018829:Adhesins, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D000328:Adult; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood*; D001782:Blood Donors; D001938:Brazil; D003126:Colostrum / Q000276:immunology*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000276:immunology; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007071:Immunoglobulin A, Secretory / Q000032:analysis*; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood*; D011247:Pregnancy; D044967:Serum / Q000276:immunology*; D055815:Young Adult
D018829:Adhesins, Bacterial; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D007071:Immunoglobulin A, Secretory; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; C073819:eaeA protein, E coli