The serological relationship betweenEscherichia coliO157 andYersinia enterocoliticaO9 using sera from patients with brucellosis

Abstract

SUMMARY: Sera from ten patients with positive brucella serology were used to investigate antibody cross-reactions between the O-antigens ofEscherichia coli0157 andYersinia enterocolitica09. SDS-PAGE profiles of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), purified from strains ofE. coli0157 andY. enterocolitica09, were reacted with sera by immunoblotting. All ten sera contained antibodies which bound to the LPS ofE. coli0157, and five of these sera also contained antibodies which bound to the LPS ofY. enterocolitica09. Absorption studies using these five cross–reacting sera indicated the existence of at least three epitopes exposed on the O–antigens ofE. coli0157 andY. enterocolitica09. One antigen binding site appeared to be exposed on the LPS of both organisms, while one epitope was exposed on the LPS of E. coli 0157 only, and another on the LPS ofY. enterocolitica09 only.