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. 1989 Nov;27(11):2594–2597. doi: 10.1128/jcm.27.11.2594-2597.1989

Immunoblot analysis of serum immunoglobulin G response to surface proteins of Clostridium difficile in patients with antibiotic-associated diarrhea.

A Pantosti 1, M Cerquetti 1, F Viti 1, G Ortisi 1, P Mastrantonio 1
PMCID: PMC267082  PMID: 2808681

Abstract

We examined by immunoblot analysis the serum immunoglobulin G antibody response to EDTA-extracted surface proteins of Clostridium difficile in 16 patients with antibiotic-associated diarrhea. For each patient, paired serum samples were tested against proteins of the infecting strain and of a collection strain (C253) known to belong to the electrophoretic group 2 pattern. Eight patients, all harboring group 2 C. difficile strains, exhibited responses to the proteins of the infecting strain; six patients showed increases in the level of antibodies between acute-phase and convalescent-phase sera. A great variability in the antigens recognized was found; however, seven patients possessed antibodies directed against an antigen of about 35 kilodaltons, corresponding to the major protein of group 2 strains. The sera of these seven patients cross-reacted also with the 35-kilodalton and other proteins of strain C253. Our data show that C. difficile proteins other than toxins can elicit an immune response in patients with C. difficile-associated disease; in this group of patients, the major surface protein of the group 2 strains was the antigen most often recognized.

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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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