Skip to main content
Infection and Immunity logoLink to Infection and Immunity
. 1989 Jun;57(6):1675–1679. doi: 10.1128/iai.57.6.1675-1679.1989

Human milk immunoglobulin A antibodies to Shigella virulence determinants.

T G Cleary 1, D K Winsor 1, D Reich 1, G Ruiz-Palacios 1, J J Calva 1
PMCID: PMC313338  PMID: 2470676

Abstract

Because human milk is thought to protect infants from shigellosis, we evaluated milk for immunoglobulin A to Shigella virulence determinants. Milk was preincubated to remove antibodies unrelated to each locus of interest, using defined Shigella and E. coli hybrids containing known Shigella genetic segments prior to immunoblotting. The milk could not be shown to contain antibodies to chromosomally encoded virulence loci except for the expected antibodies to the products of the histidine locus. However, all the milk samples contained antibodies to antigens encoded by the large virulence plasmid. The finding of these antibodies suggests a possible mechanism by which human milk might protect infants.

Full text

PDF
1675

Images in this article

Selected References

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

  1. ARNON H., SALZBERGER M., OLITZKI A. L. The appearance of antibacterial and antitoxic antibodies in maternal sera, umbilicalcord blood and milk: observations on the specificity of antibacterial antibodies in human sera. Pediatrics. 1959 Jan;23(1 Pt 1):86–91. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bartlett A. V., 3rd, Prado D., Cleary T. G., Pickering L. K. Production of Shiga toxin and other cytotoxins by serogroups of Shigella. J Infect Dis. 1986 Dec;154(6):996–1002. doi: 10.1093/infdis/154.6.996. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Baudry B., Maurelli A. T., Clerc P., Sadoff J. C., Sansonetti P. J. Localization of plasmid loci necessary for the entry of Shigella flexneri into HeLa cells, and characterization of one locus encoding four immunogenic polypeptides. J Gen Microbiol. 1987 Dec;133(12):3403–3413. doi: 10.1099/00221287-133-12-3403. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Binns M. M., Vaughan S., Timmis K. N. 'O'-antigens are essential virulence factors of Shigella sonnei and Shigella dysenteriae 1. Zentralbl Bakteriol Mikrobiol Hyg B. 1985 Jun;181(1-2):197–205. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Clemens J. D., Stanton B., Stoll B., Shahid N. S., Banu H., Chowdhury A. K. Breast feeding as a determinant of severity in shigellosis. Evidence for protection throughout the first three years of life in Bangladeshi children. Am J Epidemiol. 1986 Apr;123(4):710–720. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a114291. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Cruz J. R., Carlsson B. V., Hofvander Y., Holme D. T., Hanson L. A. Studies of human milk. II. Concentration of antibodies against Salmonella and Shigella in milk of women from different populations and the daily intake by their breast-fed infants. Acta Paediatr Scand. 1985 May;74(3):338–341. doi: 10.1111/j.1651-2227.1985.tb10980.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Formal S. B., Gemski P., Baron L. S., Labrec E. H. A Chromosomal Locus Which Controls the Ability of Shigella flexneri to Evoke Keratoconjunctivitis. Infect Immun. 1971 Jan;3(1):73–79. doi: 10.1128/iai.3.1.73-79.1971. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Formal S. B., Gemski P., Baron L. S., Labrec E. H. Genetic Transfer of Shigella flexneri Antigens to Escherichia coli K-12. Infect Immun. 1970 Mar;1(3):279–287. doi: 10.1128/iai.1.3.279-287.1970. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Griffiths E., Stevenson P., Hale T. L., Formal S. B. Synthesis of aerobactin and a 76,000-dalton iron-regulated outer membrane protein by Escherichia coli K-12-Shigella flexneri hybrids and by enteroinvasive strains of Escherichia coli. Infect Immun. 1985 Jul;49(1):67–71. doi: 10.1128/iai.49.1.67-71.1985. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Hale T. L., Formal S. B. Genetics of virulence in Shigella. Microb Pathog. 1986 Dec;1(6):511–518. doi: 10.1016/0882-4010(86)90037-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Hale T. L., Oaks E. V., Formal S. B. Identification and antigenic characterization of virulence-associated, plasmid-coded proteins of Shigella spp. and enteroinvasive Escherichia coli. Infect Immun. 1985 Dec;50(3):620–629. doi: 10.1128/iai.50.3.620-629.1985. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Kenny J. F., Boesman M. I., Michaels R. H. Bacterial and viral coproantibodies in breast-fed infants. Pediatrics. 1967 Feb;39(2):202–213. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Labrec E. H., Schneider H., Magnani T. J., Formal S. B. EPITHELIAL CELL PENETRATION AS AN ESSENTIAL STEP IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF BACILLARY DYSENTERY. J Bacteriol. 1964 Nov;88(5):1503–1518. doi: 10.1128/jb.88.5.1503-1518.1964. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Mata L. J., Wyatt R. G. The uniqueness of human milk. Host resistance to infection. Am J Clin Nutr. 1971 Aug;24(8):976–986. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/24.8.976. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Maurelli A. T., Baudry B., d'Hauteville H., Hale T. L., Sansonetti P. J. Cloning of plasmid DNA sequences involved in invasion of HeLa cells by Shigella flexneri. Infect Immun. 1985 Jul;49(1):164–171. doi: 10.1128/iai.49.1.164-171.1985. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Newland J. W., Neill R. J. DNA probes for Shiga-like toxins I and II and for toxin-converting bacteriophages. J Clin Microbiol. 1988 Jul;26(7):1292–1297. doi: 10.1128/jcm.26.7.1292-1297.1988. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Oaks E. V., Hale T. L., Formal S. B. Serum immune response to Shigella protein antigens in rhesus monkeys and humans infected with Shigella spp. Infect Immun. 1986 Jul;53(1):57–63. doi: 10.1128/iai.53.1.57-63.1986. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Pickering L. K., Cleary T. G., Kohl S., Getz S. Polymorphonuclear leukocytes of human colostrum. I. Oxidative metabolism and kinetics of killing of radiolabeled Staphylococcus aureus. J Infect Dis. 1980 Nov;142(5):685–693. doi: 10.1093/infdis/142.5.685. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Prado D., Cleary T. G., Pickering L. K., Ericsson C. D., Bartlett A. V., 3rd, DuPont H. L., Johnson P. C. The relation between production of cytotoxin and clinical features in shigellosis. J Infect Dis. 1986 Jul;154(1):149–155. doi: 10.1093/infdis/154.1.149. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Sansonetti P. J., Hale T. L., Dammin G. J., Kapfer C., Collins H. H., Jr, Formal S. B. Alterations in the pathogenicity of Escherichia coli K-12 after transfer of plasmid and chromosomal genes from Shigella flexneri. Infect Immun. 1983 Mar;39(3):1392–1402. doi: 10.1128/iai.39.3.1392-1402.1983. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Sansonetti P. J., Kopecko D. J., Formal S. B. Involvement of a plasmid in the invasive ability of Shigella flexneri. Infect Immun. 1982 Mar;35(3):852–860. doi: 10.1128/iai.35.3.852-860.1982. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Sansonetti P. J., Kopecko D. J., Formal S. B. Shigella sonnei plasmids: evidence that a large plasmid is necessary for virulence. Infect Immun. 1981 Oct;34(1):75–83. doi: 10.1128/iai.34.1.75-83.1981. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Sasakawa C., Kamata K., Sakai T., Murayama S. Y., Makino S., Yoshikawa M. Molecular alteration of the 140-megadalton plasmid associated with loss of virulence and Congo red binding activity in Shigella flexneri. Infect Immun. 1986 Feb;51(2):470–475. doi: 10.1128/iai.51.2.470-475.1986. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Sasakawa C., Makino S., Kamata K., Yoshikawa M. Isolation, characterization, and mapping of Tn5 insertions into the 140-megadalton invasion plasmid defective in the mouse Sereny test in Shigella flexneri 2a. Infect Immun. 1986 Oct;54(1):32–36. doi: 10.1128/iai.54.1.32-36.1986. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Silva R. M., Saadi S., Maas W. K. A basic replicon of virulence-associated plasmids of Shigella spp. and enteroinvasive Escherichia coli is homologous with a basic replicon in plasmids of IncF groups. Infect Immun. 1988 Apr;56(4):836–842. doi: 10.1128/iai.56.4.836-842.1988. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Silva R. M., Toledo M. R., Trabulsi L. R. Correlation of invasiveness with plasmid in enteroinvasive strains of Escherichia coli. J Infect Dis. 1982 Nov;146(5):706–706. doi: 10.1093/infdis/146.5.706. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Strockbine N. A., Jackson M. P., Sung L. M., Holmes R. K., O'Brien A. D. Cloning and sequencing of the genes for Shiga toxin from Shigella dysenteriae type 1. J Bacteriol. 1988 Mar;170(3):1116–1122. doi: 10.1128/jb.170.3.1116-1122.1988. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Towbin H., Staehelin T., Gordon J. Electrophoretic transfer of proteins from polyacrylamide gels to nitrocellulose sheets: procedure and some applications. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1979 Sep;76(9):4350–4354. doi: 10.1073/pnas.76.9.4350. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

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

RESOURCES