Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of Clinical Microbiology logoLink to Journal of Clinical Microbiology
. 1992 Aug;30(8):1958–1967. doi: 10.1128/jcm.30.8.1958-1967.1992

Primary humoral antibody response to Coxiella burnetii, the causative agent of Q fever.

D Guigno 1, B Coupland 1, E G Smith 1, I D Farrell 1, U Desselberger 1, E O Caul 1
PMCID: PMC265423  PMID: 1500499

Abstract

Of 147 patients with acute Q fever diagnosed during a major outbreak in Birmingham, England, in early summer 1989, 41 provided sets of sera which allowed us to make a detailed analysis of the primary humoral immune response. Antibody titers specific for Coxiella burnetii were measured by the complement fixation test and by an immunoglobulin M (IgM)- and IgG-specific indirect immunofluorescence test. The relative avidity of specific IgGs was determined by the indirect immunofluorescence test with and without treatment of antigen-antibody complexes with 8 M urea. The IgG subclass responses after primary infection and their avidities were also determined for a limited number of paired serum specimens. Specific IgM titers persisted for more than 6 months in the majority of cases and were therefore not a sufficient criterion for the diagnosis of recent infection. However, for serial samples the antibody titer ratios (IgG/IgM) and the ratios (IgG titer with treatment/IgG titer without treatment) that indicated relative avidity changed significantly, depending on the time postinfection. Within the IgG class, the C. burnetii-specific antibody response over time was almost exclusively represented by subclass 1 molecules, which thus showed affinity maturation.

Full text

PDF
1961

Selected References

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

  1. Behymer D., Riemann H. P. Coxiella burnetii infection (Q fever). J Am Vet Med Assoc. 1989 Mar 15;194(6):764–767. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Blackburn N. K., Besselaar T. G., Schoub B. D., O'Connell K. F. Differentiation of primary cytomegalovirus infection from reactivation using the urea denaturation test for measuring antibody avidity. J Med Virol. 1991 Jan;33(1):6–9. doi: 10.1002/jmv.1890330103. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Devey M. E., Bleasdale-Barr K. M., Bird P., Amlot P. L. Antibodies of different human IgG subclasses show distinct patterns of affinity maturation after immunization with keyhole limpet haemocyanin. Immunology. 1990 Jun;70(2):168–174. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Devey M. E., Bleasdale K., Lee S., Rath S. Determination of the functional affinity of IgG1 and IgG4 antibodies to tetanus toxoid by isotype-specific solid-phase assays. J Immunol Methods. 1988 Jan 21;106(1):119–125. doi: 10.1016/0022-1759(88)90279-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Dupuis G., Péter O., Peacock M., Burgdorfer W., Haller E. Immunoglobulin responses in acute Q fever. J Clin Microbiol. 1985 Oct;22(4):484–487. doi: 10.1128/jcm.22.4.484-487.1985. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Dupuis G., Péter O., Pedroni D., Petite J. Aspects cliniques observés lors d'une épidémie de 415 cas de fièvre Q. Schweiz Med Wochenschr. 1985 Jun 15;115(24):814–818. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Field P. R., Hunt J. G., Murphy A. M. Detection and persistence of specific IgM antibody to Coxiella burnetii by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay: a comparison with immunofluorescence and complement fixation tests. J Infect Dis. 1983 Sep;148(3):477–487. doi: 10.1093/infdis/148.3.477. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Geddes A. M. Q fever. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1983 Oct 1;287(6397):927–928. doi: 10.1136/bmj.287.6397.927. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Griffiths G. M., Berek C., Kaartinen M., Milstein C. Somatic mutation and the maturation of immune response to 2-phenyl oxazolone. Nature. 1984 Nov 15;312(5991):271–275. doi: 10.1038/312271a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Hall C. J., Richmond S. J., Caul E. O., Pearce N. H., Silver I. A. Laboratory outbreak of Q fever acquired from sheep. Lancet. 1982 May 1;1(8279):1004–1006. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(82)92001-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Hoppe G., Drescher J. Description of a technique for the determination of the concentration and quality of rubella virus antibody molecules and experience with testing sera from humans with recent and past rubella infection. Arch Virol. 1980;65(2):109–121. doi: 10.1007/BF01317322. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Inouye S., Hasegawa A., Matsuno S., Katow S. Changes in antibody avidity after virus infections: detection by an immunosorbent assay in which a mild protein-denaturing agent is employed. J Clin Microbiol. 1984 Sep;20(3):525–529. doi: 10.1128/jcm.20.3.525-529.1984. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Kocks C., Rajewsky K. Stepwise intraclonal maturation of antibody affinity through somatic hypermutation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1988 Nov;85(21):8206–8210. doi: 10.1073/pnas.85.21.8206. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. LENNETTE E. H., CLARK W. H., JENSEN F. W., TOOMB C. J. Q fever studies. XV. Development and persistence in man of complement-fixing and agglutinating antibodies to Coxiella burnetii. J Immunol. 1952 May;68(5):591–598. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Lorenz R. Beschreibung einer modifizierten Technik zur Bestimmung von Qualität und Konzentration von Influenzavirus-Antikörpermolekülen mitteis der Gleichgewichtsfiltration und Vergleich ihrer Aussagefähigkeit mit der konventionellen methode. Zentralbl Bakteriol Orig A. 1973 Oct;225(1):7–18. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Lubach D. Beschreibung einer Methode zur Bestimmung der Anzahl und Qualität von Influenzavirus-Antikörpermolekülen mittels der Gleichgewichtszentrifugation. Zentralbl Bakteriol Orig A. 1975;230(2):141–158. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Marrie T. J., Haldane E. V., Faulkner R. S., Kwan C., Grant B., Cook F. The importance of Coxiella burnetii as a cause of pneumonia in Nova Scotia. Can J Public Health. 1985 Jul-Aug;76(4):233–236. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Marrie T. J., Schlech W. F., 3rd, Williams J. C., Yates L. Q fever pneumonia associated with exposure to wild rabbits. Lancet. 1986 Feb 22;1(8478):427–429. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(86)92380-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Meiklejohn G., Reimer L. G., Graves P. S., Helmick C. Cryptic epidemic of Q fever in a medical school. J Infect Dis. 1981 Aug;144(2):107–113. doi: 10.1093/infdis/144.2.107. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Murphy A. M., Field P. R. The persistence of complement-fixing antibodies to Q-fever (Coxiella burneti) after infection. Med J Aust. 1970 Jun 6;1(23):1148–1150. doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1970.tb84481.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Persson M. A., Brown S. E., Steward M. W., Hammarström L., Smith C. I., Howard C. R., Wahl M., Rynnel-Dagö B., Lefranc G., Carbonara A. O. IgG subclass-associated affinity differences of specific antibodies in humans. J Immunol. 1988 Jun 1;140(11):3875–3879. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Reilly S., Northwood J. L., Caul E. O. Q fever in Plymouth, 1972-88. A review with particular reference to neurological manifestations. Epidemiol Infect. 1990 Oct;105(2):391–408. doi: 10.1017/s095026880004797x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Rousseau S., Hedman K. Rubella infection and reinfection distinguished by avidity of IgG. Lancet. 1988 May 14;1(8594):1108–1109. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(88)91926-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Salmon M. M., Howells B., Glencross E. J., Evans A. D., Palmer S. R. Q fever in an urban area. Lancet. 1982 May 1;1(8279):1002–1004. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(82)92000-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Sawyer L. A., Fishbein D. B., McDade J. E. Q fever: current concepts. Rev Infect Dis. 1987 Sep-Oct;9(5):935–946. doi: 10.1093/clinids/9.5.935. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Thomas H. I., Morgan-Capner P. Rubella-specific IgG subclass avidity ELISA and its role in the differentiation between primary rubella and rubella reinfection. Epidemiol Infect. 1988 Dec;101(3):591–598. doi: 10.1017/s0950268800029459. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Thomas H. I., Morgan-Capner P. Specific IgG subclass antibody in rubella virus infections. Epidemiol Infect. 1988 Jun;100(3):443–454. doi: 10.1017/s0950268800067182. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Clinical Microbiology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES