Skip to main content
PMC home page
Infection and Immunity logoLink to Infection and Immunity
. 1985 Oct;50(1):123–129. doi: 10.1128/iai.50.1.123-129.1985

Sensitivity of Capnocytophaga species to bactericidal properties of human serum.

M E Wilson, R Burstein, J T Jonak-Urbanczyk, R J Genco
PMCID: PMC262145  PMID: 4044029

Abstract

Capnocytophaga is a newly described genus of gram-negative bacteria which can cause serious oral and extraoral infections in the susceptible host. In the present study, sensitivity of Capnocytophaga spp. to the bactericidal properties of human serum was investigated. Laboratory strains representative of Capnocytophaga sputigena, C. ochracea, and C. gingivalis and seven oral isolates of Capnocytophaga spp. obtained in primary culture were determined to be sensitive to killing by pooled normal serum. In contrast, little or no killing of Capnocytophaga spp. was observed when these organisms were incubated in the presence of hypogammaglobulinemic serum despite evidence for alternative pathway activation. However, hypogammaglobulinemic serum could be reconstituted to bactericidal activity by the addition of the immunoglobulin M fraction of normal serum. Capnocytophaga spp. failed to activate the classical pathway in hypogammaglobulinemic serum, thus ruling out an antibody-independent mechanism of killing. In contrast, good correlation was observed between serum-mediated killing and antibody-dependent classical pathway consumption. These results indicate that complement in the presence of bactericidal antibody may be an important determinant of host resistance to intra- and extraoral infections caused by Capnocytophaga spp.

Full text

PDF
123

Images in this article

127Image
on p.127

Selected References

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

  1. Betz S. J., Isliker H. Antibody-independent interactions between Escherichia coli J5 and human complement components. J Immunol. 1981 Nov;127(5):1748–1754. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bowen T. J., Ochs H. D., Altman L. C., Price T. H., Van Epps D. E., Brautigan D. L., Rosin R. E., Perkins W. D., Babior B. M., Klebanoff S. J. Severe recurrent bacterial infections associated with defective adherence and chemotaxis in two patients with neutrophils deficient in a cell-associated glycoprotein. J Pediatr. 1982 Dec;101(6):932–940. doi: 10.1016/s0022-3476(82)80013-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Clas F., Loos M. Killing of the S and Re forms of Salmonella minnesota via the classical pathway of complement activation in guinea-pig and human sera. Immunology. 1980 Aug;40(4):547–556. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Forlenza S. W., Newman M. G., Lipsey A. I., Siegel S. E., Blachman U. Capnocytophaga sepsis: a newly recognised clinical entity in granulocytopenic patients. Lancet. 1980 Mar 15;1(8168 Pt 1):567–568. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(80)91057-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Holt S. C., Leadbetter E. R., Socransky S. S. Capnocytophaga: new genus of gram-negative gliding bacteria. II. Morphology and ultrastructure. Arch Microbiol. 1979 Jul;122(1):17–27. doi: 10.1007/BF00408041. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Joiner K. A., Goldman R. C., Hammer C. H., Leive L., Frank M. M. Studies of the mechanism of bacterial resistance to complement-mediated killing. V. IgG and F(ab')2 mediate killing of E. coli 0111B4 by the alternative complement pathway without increasing C5b-9 deposition. J Immunol. 1983 Nov;131(5):2563–2569. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Kilian M. Degradation of immunoglobulins A2, A2, and G by suspected principal periodontal pathogens. Infect Immun. 1981 Dec;34(3):757–765. doi: 10.1128/iai.34.3.757-765.1981. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Leadbetter E. R., Holt S. C., Socransky S. S. Capnocytophaga: new genus of gram-negative gliding bacteria. I. General characteristics, taxonomic considerations and significance. Arch Microbiol. 1979 Jul;122(1):9–16. doi: 10.1007/BF00408040. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Loos M., Wellek B., Thesen R., Opferkuch W. Antibody-independent interaction of the first component of complement with Gram-negative bacteria. Infect Immun. 1978 Oct;22(1):5–9. doi: 10.1128/iai.22.1.5-9.1978. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Mashimo P. A., Yamamoto Y., Slots J., Park B. H., Genco R. J. The periodontal microflora of juvenile diabetics. Culture, immunofluorescence, and serum antibody studies. J Periodontol. 1983 Jul;54(7):420–430. doi: 10.1902/jop.1983.54.7.420. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Morrison D. C., Kline L. F. Activation of the classical and properdin pathways of complement by bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPS). J Immunol. 1977 Jan;118(1):362–368. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Mouton C., Hammond P. G., Slots J., Genco R. J. Serum antibodies to oral Bacteroides asaccharolyticus (Bacteroides gingivalis): relationship to age and periondontal disease. Infect Immun. 1981 Jan;31(1):182–192. doi: 10.1128/iai.31.1.182-192.1981. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Murayama Y., Muranishi K., Okada H., Kato K., Kotani S., Takada H., Tsujimoto M., Kawasaki A., Ogawa T. Immunological activities of Capnocytophaga cellular components. Infect Immun. 1982 Jun;36(3):876–884. doi: 10.1128/iai.36.3.876-884.1982. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Nisengard R., Jarrett C. Coating of subgingival bacteria with immunoglobulin and complement. J Periodontol. 1976 Sep;47(9):518–521. doi: 10.1902/jop.1976.47.9.518. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Parenti D. M., Snydman D. R. Capnocytophaga species: infections in nonimmunocompromised and immunocompromised hosts. J Infect Dis. 1985 Jan;151(1):140–147. doi: 10.1093/infdis/151.1.140. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Progulske A., Holt S. C. Isolation and characterization of the outer membrane and lipopolysaccharide from Eikenella corrodens. Infect Immun. 1984 Jan;43(1):166–177. doi: 10.1128/iai.43.1.166-177.1984. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Roantree R. J., Rantz L. A. A STUDY OF THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE NORMAL BACTERICIDAL ACTIVITY OF HUMAN SERUM TO BACTERIAL INFECTION. J Clin Invest. 1960 Jan;39(1):72–81. doi: 10.1172/JCI104029. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Schenkein H. A., Genco R. J. Gingival fluid and serum in periodontal diseases. II. Evidence for cleavage of complement components C3, C3 proactivator (factor B) and C4 in gingival fluid. J Periodontol. 1977 Dec;48(12):778–784. doi: 10.1902/jop.1977.48.12.778. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Schreiber R. D., Morrison D. C., Podack E. R., Müller-Eberhard H. J. Bactericidal activity of the alternative complement pathway generated from 11 isolated plasma proteins. J Exp Med. 1979 Apr 1;149(4):870–882. doi: 10.1084/jem.149.4.870. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Shurin S. B., Socransky S. S., Sweeney E., Stossel T. P. A neutrophil disorder induced by capnocytophaga, a dental micro-organism. N Engl J Med. 1979 Oct 18;301(16):849–854. doi: 10.1056/NEJM197910183011601. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Slots J., Genco R. J. Black-pigmented Bacteroides species, Capnocytophaga species, and Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans in human periodontal disease: virulence factors in colonization, survival, and tissue destruction. J Dent Res. 1984 Mar;63(3):412–421. doi: 10.1177/00220345840630031101. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Socransky S. S., Holt S. C., Leadbetter E. R., Tanner A. C., Savitt E., Hammond B. F. Capnocytophaga: new genus of gram-negative gliding bacteria. III. Physiological characterization. Arch Microbiol. 1979 Jul;122(1):29–33. doi: 10.1007/BF00408042. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Sundqvist G., Johansson E. Bactericidal effect of pooled human serum on Bacteroides melaninogenicus, Bacteroides asaccharolyticus and Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans. Scand J Dent Res. 1982 Feb;90(1):29–36. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0722.1982.tb01521.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Taylor P. W. Bactericidal and bacteriolytic activity of serum against gram-negative bacteria. Microbiol Rev. 1983 Mar;47(1):46–83. doi: 10.1128/mr.47.1.46-83.1983. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Wennström J., Heijl L., Lindhe J., Socransky S. Migration of gingival leukocytes mediated by plaque bacteria. J Periodontal Res. 1980 Jul;15(4):363–372. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0765.1980.tb00293.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Wilson M. E., Morrison D. C. Evidence for different requirements in physical state for the interaction of lipopolysaccharides with the classical and alternative pathways of complement. Eur J Biochem. 1982 Nov;128(1):137–141. doi: 10.1111/j.1432-1033.1982.tb06943.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Zambon J. J. Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans in human periodontal disease. J Clin Periodontol. 1985 Jan;12(1):1–20. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-051x.1985.tb01348.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES