Skip to main content
PMC home page
Immunology logoLink to Immunology
. 1965 May;8(5):484–498.

The antibacterial effect of Bordetella pertussis antisera

Jean M Dolby
PMCID: PMC1423490  PMID: 4284285

Abstract

Antisera to Bordetella pertussis are bactericidal for some strains of B. pertussis in the presence of complement and lysozyme. Phase I bacilli, virulent for mice by the intracerebral and intranasal routes, are sensitive to the bactericidal effect; most mouse avirulent strains are not.

Most of the bactericidal antisera belong to one of two types according to the concentration of antibody and complement that are optimally lethal. Type 1 antisera are bactericidal in the range 1/30 to 1/900 with guinea-pig serum as the complement source at 1/18 to 1/100. Type 2 antisera are characterized by a zone without bactericidal activity over similar antiserum and complement dilutions. Their bactericidal activity is made evident by diluting the antiserum further, by increasing the amount of complement, or by adding tissue homogenates, body fluids or crystalline lysozyme. The two types are further characterized by the differing requirements of the bactericidal system for the individual components of haemolytic complement.

The combined lethal action of antibody, complement and lysozyme is rapid. In the early stages it is partly inhibited by substances in the medium used for estimating viable counts indicating that in its initial stages the reaction is bacteriostatic rather than bactericidal.

Full text

PDF
488

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. ADLER F. L. Studies on the bactericidal reaction. I. Bactericidal action of normal sera against a strain of Salmonella typhosa. J Immunol. 1953 Jan;70(1):69–78. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. ADLER F. L. Studies on the bactericidal reaction. II. Inhibition by antibody, and antibody requirements of the reaction. J Immunol. 1953 Jan;70(1):79–88. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Cohen S. M., Wheeler M. W. Pertussis Vaccine Prepared with Phase-I Cultures Grown in Fluid Medium. Am J Public Health Nations Health. 1946 Apr;36(4):371–376. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. DOLBY J. M., STANDFAST A. F. A comparison of passive protection tests against intranasal and intracerebral challenges with Bordetella pertussis. Immunology. 1958 Apr;1(2):144–156. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. DOLBY J. M., STANDFAST A. F. The intracerebral infection of mice with Bordetella pertussis. J Hyg (Lond) 1961 Jun;59:205–216. doi: 10.1017/s0022172400038869. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. DOLBY J. M., THOW D. C., STANDFAST A. F. The intranasal infection of mice with Bordetella pertussis. J Hyg (Lond) 1961 Jun;59:191–204. doi: 10.1017/s0022172400038857. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Dolby D. E. The action of pepsin on protein fractions from horse antisera to diphtheria toxin. Biochem J. 1964 Jul;92(1):112–119. doi: 10.1042/bj0920112. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Dolby J. M., Vincent W. A. Characterization of the antibodies responsible for the 'bactericidal activity patterns' of antisera to Bordetella pertussis. Immunology. 1965 May;8(5):499–510. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. FREEMAN B. A., MUSTEIKIS G. M., BURROWS W. Protoplast formation as the mechanism for immune lysis of Vibrio cholerae. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1963 Jul;113:675–680. doi: 10.3181/00379727-113-28459. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. KOURILSKY F. M., BLOCH K. J., BENACERRAF B., OVARY Z. PROPERTIES OF GUINEA PIG 7S ANTIBODIES. V. INHIBITION BY GUINEA PIG GAMMA-2 ANTIBODIES OF PASSIVE IMMUNE LYSIS PROVOKED BY GAMMA-2 ANTIBODIES. J Exp Med. 1963 Nov 1;118:699–709. doi: 10.1084/jem.118.5.699. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. LANDY M., MICHAEL J. G., WHITBY J. L. Bactericidal method for the measurement in normal serum of antibody to gramnegative bacteria. J Bacteriol. 1962 Mar;83:631–640. doi: 10.1128/jb.83.3.631-640.1962. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. LEVINE L., MAYER M. M. Kinetic studies on immune hemolysis. V. Formation of the complex EAC'x and its reaction with C'y. J Immunol. 1954 Dec;73(6):426–434. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. LEVINE L., MAYER M. M., RAPP H. J. Kinetic studies on immune hemolysis. VI. Resolution of the C'y reaction step into two successive processes involving C'2 and C'3. J Immunol. 1954 Dec;73(6):435–442. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. LEVY H. B., SOBER H. A. A simple chromatographic method for preparation of gamma globulin. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1960 Jan;103:250–252. doi: 10.3181/00379727-103-25476. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. MICHAEL J. G., BRAUN W. Serum spheroplasts of Shigella dysenteriae. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1959 Feb;100(2):422–425. doi: 10.3181/00379727-100-24649. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. MICHAEL J. G., LANDY M. Endotoxic properties of gramnegative bacteria and their susceptibility to the lethal effect of normal serum. J Infect Dis. 1961 Jan-Feb;108:90–94. doi: 10.1093/infdis/108.1.90. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. MICHAEL J. G., WHITBY J. L., LANDY M. Studies on natural antibodies to gram-negative bacteria. J Exp Med. 1962 Jan 1;115:131–146. doi: 10.1084/jem.115.1.131. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. MUSCHEL L. H., CAREY W. F., BARON L. S. Formation of bacterial protoplasts by serum components. J Immunol. 1959 Jan;82(1):38–42. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. MUSCHEL L. H., CHAMBERLIN R. H., OSAWA E. Bactericidal activity of normal serum against bacterial cultures. I. Activity against Salmonella typhi strains. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1958 Feb;97(2):376–382. doi: 10.3181/00379727-97-23748. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. MUSCHEL L. H., MUTO T. Bactericidal reaction of mouse serum. Science. 1956 Jan 13;123(3185):62–64. doi: 10.1126/science.123.3185.62. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. MUSCHEL L. H., TREFFERS H. P. Quantitative studies on the bactericidal actions of serum and complement. II. Some implications for the mechanism of the bactericidal reaction. J Immunol. 1956 Jan;76(1):11–19. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. MYRVIK Q. N., WEISER R. S. Studies on antibacterial factors in mammalian tissues and fluids. I. A serum bactericidin for Bacillus subtilis. J Immunol. 1955 Jan;74(1):9–16. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. McGHEE R. B. Presence of complement in serum of the mouse. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med. 1952 Jul;80(3):419–420. doi: 10.3181/00379727-80-19642. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. NAGINGTON J. The bactericidal action of typhoid antibody. Br J Exp Pathol. 1956 Aug;37(4):385–396. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. NAGINGTON J. The sensitivity of Salmonella typhi to the bactericidal action of antibody. Br J Exp Pathol. 1956 Aug;37(4):397–405. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. NOLLER E. C., HARTSELL S. E. Bacteriolysis of Enterobacteriaceae. II. Pre- and co-lytic treatments potentiating the action of lysozyme. J Bacteriol. 1961 Mar;81:492–499. doi: 10.1128/jb.81.3.492-499.1961. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. REPASKE R. Lysis of gram-negative bacteria by lysozyme. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1956 Oct;22(1):189–191. doi: 10.1016/0006-3002(56)90240-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. REPASKE R. Lysis of gram-negative organisms and the role of versene. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1958 Nov;30(2):225–232. doi: 10.1016/0006-3002(58)90044-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Thjøtta T., Waaler E. Dissociation and Sensitiveness to Normal Serum in Dysentery Bacilli of Type III. J Bacteriol. 1932 Oct;24(4):301–316. doi: 10.1128/jb.24.4.301-316.1932. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. WARDLAW A. C., PILLEMER L. The properdin system and immunity. V. The bactericidal activity of the properdin system. J Exp Med. 1956 May 1;103(5):553–575. doi: 10.1084/jem.103.5.553. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. WARDLAW A. C. The complement-dependent bacteriolytic activity of normal human serum. I. The effect of pH and ionic strength and the role of lysozyme. J Exp Med. 1962 Jun 1;115:1231–1249. doi: 10.1084/jem.115.6.1231. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  32. WITTLER R. G. The L-form of Haemophilus pertussis in the mouse. J Gen Microbiol. 1952 May;6(3-4):311–317. doi: 10.1099/00221287-6-3-4-311. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Immunology are provided here courtesy of British Society for Immunology

RESOURCES