Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Infection and Immunity logoLink to Infection and Immunity
. 1991 Jun;59(6):2058–2062. doi: 10.1128/iai.59.6.2058-2062.1991

Passive transfer of antibody to Ehrlichia risticii protects mice from ehrlichiosis.

P S Kaylor 1, T B Crawford 1, T F McElwain 1, G H Palmer 1
PMCID: PMC257965  PMID: 2037365

Abstract

Mice that recovered from Ehrlichia risticii infection were immune to a challenge dose of 100 50% lethal doses. Immune or normal mouse serum was passively transferred to mice challenged with E. risticii. Clinical signs of ehrlichiosis were completely prevented in 22 of 24 recipients of immune serum, and the onset of signs of illness was delayed in the remaining two mice compared with the onset of illness in 24 of 24 recipients of nonimmune serum. Purified immunoglobulin G (IgG) was used to passively protect mice from infection with E. risticii. All 15 mice that received IgG from normal serum but none of the 15 mice that received IgG from immune serum developed clinical signs of illness. Antibodies in immune mouse serum immunoprecipitated [35S]methionine metabolically labeled E. risticii proteins with apparent molecular masses ranging from 14 to 90 kDa. The major antigens recognized by dilute immune serum in immunoblot analysis had molecular masses of 62, 53, 40, 33, 27, and 25 kDa, and the 62- and 27-kDa antigens were prominent in immunoprecipitations with dilute antibody. Antigens with molecular masses of 62, 53, 40, 33, and 27 kDa are likely surface exposed, as determined by immunoprecipitation of 125I-labeled organisms with immune mouse serum.

Full text

PDF
2058

Images in this article

2060Image
on p.2060
2060Image
on p.2060
2061Image
on p.2061
2061Image
on p.2061
2061Image
on p.2061

Selected References

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

  1. Beaman L., Wisseman C. L., Jr Mechanisms of immunity in typhus infections. VI. Differential opsonizing and neutralizing action of human typhus rickettsia-specific cytophilic antibodies in cultures of human macrophages. Infect Immun. 1976 Oct;14(4):1071–1076. doi: 10.1128/iai.14.4.1071-1076.1976. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Dutta S. K., Mattingly B. L., Shankarappa B. Antibody response to Ehrlichia risticii and antibody reactivity to the component antigens in horses with induced Potomac horse fever. Infect Immun. 1989 Oct;57(10):2959–2962. doi: 10.1128/iai.57.10.2959-2962.1989. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Dutta S. K., Myrup A. C., Rice R. M., Robl M. G., Hammond R. C. Experimental reproduction of Potomac horse fever in horses with a newly isolated Ehrlichia organism. J Clin Microbiol. 1985 Aug;22(2):265–269. doi: 10.1128/jcm.22.2.265-269.1985. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Dutta S. K., Penney B. E., Myrup A. C., Robl M. G., Rice R. M. Disease features in horses with induced equine monocytic ehrlichiosis (Potomac horse fever). Am J Vet Res. 1988 Oct;49(10):1747–1751. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Gambrill M. R., Wisseman C. L., Jr Mechanisms of immunity in typhus infections. 3. Influence of human immune serum and complement on the fate of Rickettsia mooseri within the human macrophages. Infect Immun. 1973 Oct;8(4):631–640. doi: 10.1128/iai.8.4.631-640.1973. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Hanson B. A. Effect of immune serum on infectivity of Rickettsia tsutsugamushi. Infect Immun. 1983 Oct;42(1):341–349. doi: 10.1128/iai.42.1.341-349.1983. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Hines S. A., McElwain T. F., Buening G. M., Palmer G. H. Molecular characterization of Babesia bovis merozoite surface proteins bearing epitopes immunodominant in protected cattle. Mol Biochem Parasitol. 1989 Nov;37(1):1–9. doi: 10.1016/0166-6851(89)90096-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Holland C. J., Ristic M., Cole A. I., Johnson P., Baker G., Goetz T. Isolation, experimental transmission, and characterization of causative agent of Potomac horse fever. Science. 1985 Feb 1;227(4686):522–524. doi: 10.1126/science.3880925. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Jenkins S. J., Jones N. K., Jenny A. L. Potomac horse fever agent in mice. Vet Rec. 1985 Nov 23;117(21):556–557. doi: 10.1136/vr.117.21.556. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Leeflang P., Perie N. M. A comparative study of the pathogenicities of old and new world strains of Ehrlichia canis. Trop Anim Health Prod. 1972;4(2):107–108. doi: 10.1007/BF02359743. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Palmer J. E., Benson C. E., Whitlock R. H. Resistance to development of equine ehrlichial colitis in experimentally inoculated horses and ponies. Am J Vet Res. 1990 May;51(5):763–765. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Rikihisa Y., Johnson G. C., Burger C. J. Reduced immune responsiveness and lymphoid depletion in mice infected with Ehrlichia risticii. Infect Immun. 1987 Sep;55(9):2215–2222. doi: 10.1128/iai.55.9.2215-2222.1987. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Rikihisa Y., Perry B. D. Causative ehrlichial organisms in Potomac horse fever. Infect Immun. 1985 Sep;49(3):513–517. doi: 10.1128/iai.49.3.513-517.1985. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Rikihisa Y., Perry B. D., Cordes D. O. Ultrastructural study of ehrlichial organisms in the large colons of ponies infected with Potomac horse fever. Infect Immun. 1985 Sep;49(3):505–512. doi: 10.1128/iai.49.3.505-512.1985. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Rikihisa Y., Pretzman C. I., Johnson G. C., Reed S. M., Yamamoto S., Andrews F. Clinical, histopathological, and immunological responses of ponies to Ehrlichia sennetsu and subsequent Ehrlichia risticii challenge. Infect Immun. 1988 Nov;56(11):2960–2966. doi: 10.1128/iai.56.11.2960-2966.1988. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Ristic M., Holland C. J., Dawson J. E., Sessions J., Palmer J. Diagnosis of equine monocytic ehrlichiosis (Potomac horse fever) by indirect immunofluorescence. J Am Vet Med Assoc. 1986 Jul 1;189(1):39–46. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Rovis L., Barbet A. F., Williams R. O. Characterisation of the surface coat of Trypanosoma congolense. Nature. 1978 Feb 16;271(5646):654–656. doi: 10.1038/271654a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Shankarappa B., Dutta S. K. Production and characterization of monoclonal antibodies to Ehrlichia risticii. Am J Vet Res. 1989 Jul;50(7):1145–1149. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Snodgrass D. R. Pathogenesis of bovine petechial fever. Latent infections, immunity, and tissue distribution of Cytocetes ondiri. J Comp Pathol. 1975 Oct;85(4):523–530. doi: 10.1016/0021-9975(75)90119-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Wells M. Y., Rikihisa Y. Lack of lysosomal fusion with phagosomes containing Ehrlichia risticii in P388D1 cells: abrogation of inhibition with oxytetracycline. Infect Immun. 1988 Dec;56(12):3209–3215. doi: 10.1128/iai.56.12.3209-3215.1988. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Ziemer E. L., Whitlock R. H., Palmer J. E., Spencer P. A. Clinical and hematologic variables in ponies with experimentally induced equine ehrlichial colitis (Potomac horse fever). Am J Vet Res. 1987 Jan;48(1):63–67. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Infection and Immunity are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES