Abstract
Previous studies of complement-fixing antibodies to pneumococcal capsular polysaccharides in humans have yielded conflicting results. We studied 65 sera from 25 patients with pneumococcal pneumonia, using both fresh sera and heat-inactivated sera with added human complement. Only 4 of the 25 patients developed detectable levels of complement-fixing anticapsular antibody. Of the 25 patients, 22 developed detectable levels of hemagglutinating anticapsular antibody, indicating that they were able to develop an immunological response during the infection. Most of the antibody detected by hemagglutination was sensitive to 2-mercaptoethanol, but some 2-mercaptoethanol-resistant antibody was also detected. In studies with rabbit antiserum, the complement fixation test was found to be as sensitive as the hemagglutination test for detection of anticapsular antibody. It is not clear why detectable levels of complement-fixing antibody do not develop more often in patients with pneumococcal pneumonia. Studies of purified anticapsular antibody would be of interest to determine whether or not these antibodies are restricted to immunoglobulin subclasses having a limited capacity to fix complement.
Full text
PDF






Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Ammann A. J., Pelger R. J. Determination of antibody to pneumococcal polysaccharides with chromic chloride-treated human red blood cells and indirect hemagglutination. Appl Microbiol. 1972 Nov;24(5):679–683. doi: 10.1128/am.24.5.679-683.1972. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- BENSON H. N., BRUMFIELD H. P., POMEROY B. S. Requirement of avian C'1 for fixation of guinea pig complement by avian antibody-antigen complexes. J Immunol. 1961 Nov;87:616–622. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Bornstein D. L., Schiffman G., Bernheimer H. P., Austrian R. Capsulation of pneumococcus with soluble C-like (Cs) polysaccharide. I. Biological and genetic properties of Cs pneumococcal strains. J Exp Med. 1968 Dec 1;128(6):1385–1400. doi: 10.1084/jem.128.6.1385. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Claus D. R., Osmand A. P., Gewurz H. Radioimmunoassay of human C-reactive protein and levels in normal sera. J Lab Clin Med. 1976 Jan;87(1):120–128. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Coonrod J. D., Drennan D. P. Pneumococcal pneumonia: capsular polysaccharide antigenemia and antibody responses. Ann Intern Med. 1976 Mar;84(3):254–260. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-84-3-254. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Coonrod J. D., Rylko-Bauer Latex agglutination in the diagnosis of pneumococcal infection. J Clin Microbiol. 1976 Aug;4(2):168–174. doi: 10.1128/jcm.4.2.168-174.1976. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Coonrod J. D., Rytel M. W. Detection of type-specific pneumococcal antigens by counterimmunoelectrophoresis. I. Methodology and immunologic properties of pneumococcal antigens. J Lab Clin Med. 1973 May;81(5):770–777. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Ishizaka T., Ishizaka K., Salmon S., Fudenberg H. Biologic activities of aggregated gamma-globulin. 8. Aggregated immunoglobulins of different classes. J Immunol. 1967 Jul;99(1):82–91. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Johnston R. B., Jr, Anderson P., Rosen F. S., Smith D. H. Characterization of human antibody to polyribophosphate, the capsular antigen of Hemophilus influenzae, type B. Clin Immunol Immunopathol. 1973 Jan;1(2):234–240. doi: 10.1016/0090-1229(73)90024-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Kaplan M. H., Volanakis J. E. Interaction of C-reactive protein complexes with the complement system. I. Consumption of human complement associated with the reaction of C-reactive protein with pneumococcal C-polysaccharide and with the choline phosphatides, lecithin and sphingomyelin. J Immunol. 1974 Jun;112(6):2135–2147. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Mackenzie M. R., Warner N. L., Linscott W. D., Fudenberg H. H. Differentiation of human IgM subclasses by the ability to interact with a factor resembling the first component of complement. J Immunol. 1969 Sep;103(3):607–612. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- RICE C. E., CARRIERE J. The effect of unheated normal bovine serum on the complement-fixing activity of heat inactivated bovine antiserum with homologous antigen. I. Dialysis studies. J Immunol. 1961 Dec;87:665–674. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- STEIN G. J., VAN NGU D. A quantitative complement fixation test: titration of luetic sera by the unit of 50 per cent hemolysis. J Immunol. 1950 Jul;65(1):17–37. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Sloyer J. L., Jr, Howie V. M., Ploussard J. H., Ammann A. J., Austrian R., Johnston R. B., Jr Immune response to acute otitis media in children. I. Serotypes isolated and serum and middle ear fluid antibody in pneumococcal otitis media. Infect Immun. 1974 Jun;9(6):1028–1032. doi: 10.1128/iai.9.6.1028-1032.1974. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Yount W. J., Dorner M. M., Kunkel H. G., Kabat E. A. Studies on human antibodies. VI. Selective variations in subgroup composition and genetic markers. J Exp Med. 1968 Mar 1;127(3):633–646. doi: 10.1084/jem.127.3.633. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Zvaifler N. J. Rheumatoid factor and the fixation of complement. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1969 Dec 10;168(1):146–160. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1969.tb43104.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]