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. 1990 Apr;58(4):914–919. doi: 10.1128/iai.58.4.914-919.1990

Multiple mechanisms in serum factor-induced resistance of Haemophilus influenzae type b to antibody.

M Kuratana 1, E J Hansen 1, P Anderson 1
PMCID: PMC258560  PMID: 2318534

Abstract

Incubation of Haemophilus influenzae type b at less than or equal to 10(7) CFU/ml with serum ultrafiltrate induces a phenotypic conversion in which complement-mediated bactericidal activity by somatic antibodies decreases while killing by capsular antibody is unchanged. Conversion had been shown to occur in a capsule-deficient (b-) mutant of strain Eag (thus appearing independent of capsulation), to include an increase in lipopolysaccharide content, and to be inhibited by chloramphenicol or puromycin. In the present study, in several strains not previously examined, conversion was not inhibited by the drugs and the corresponding b- mutants did not convert. Incubation in ultrafiltrate was also found to increase capsulation, as detected by radioassay, only 1.6-fold in Eag but 4.5-fold in DL26, the strain with the largest increase in resistance; moreover, complement-mediated opsonization by capsular antibody was greatly decreased. Thus, multiple mechanisms, capsule dependent as well as independent, appear to contribute to the serum factor-induced resistance of H. influenzae type b to antibody.

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Selected References

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

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