Production of antibody to and cellular localization of erythrocyte-sensitizing substance from Rickettsia rickettsii.

Antibodies to Rickettsia rickettsii erythrocyte-sensitizing substance (ESS) were raised in rabbits by using a derivatized ESS. The resulting antibodies reacted with R. rickettsii and cross-reacted with Rickettsia conorii, a member of the spotted fever group rickettsiae, but did not react with Rickettsia typhi, a member of the typhus group rickettsiae, Legionella bozemanii, or Proteus vulgaris OX19 or OX2.

Extraction of protective components of Rickettsia rickettsii with n-octyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside.

Two Rickettsia rickettsii proteins, with apparent molecular masses of 120 and 155 kilodaltons, have been implicated as important antigens in immunity to Rocky Mountain spotted fever. An n-octyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside-soluble fraction of R. rickettsii was found to be enriched for these proteins along with others.

Neutralizing activity of monoclonal antibodies to heat-sensitive and heat-resistant epitopes of Rickettsia rickettsii surface proteins.

Antiprotein monoclonal antibodies derived from mice inoculated with Rickettsia rickettsii heated at 56 degrees C for 15 min are of two types: one is type specific for epitopes denatured by moderate temperatures, and the other is specific for epitopes resistant to 100 degrees C for 5 min. The heat-resistant epitopes are found by immunoblotting on multiple polypeptides after solubilization of the rickettsiae at temperatures of 56 degrees C or higher. Most, but not all, antibodies to the heat-sensitive epitopes passively protected mice against two 50% lethal doses of R.

Cloned gene of Rickettsia rickettsii surface antigen: candidate vaccine for Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

Two major protective antigens of Rickettsia rickettsii have been previously described. In this study, we cloned the gene encoding one of these antigens into Escherichia coli and tested the effectiveness of the recombinant-made product as a vaccine for Rocky Mountain spotted fever. A clone bank of R strain R.