Discovery and analysis of Bartonella henselae antigens for use in clinical serologic assays.

The antibody response to Bartonella henselae has been studied in a number of mammals; however, the human response needs to be further studied. After natural infection, humans have antibody reactivity to a large number of B. henselae proteins.

Limited role of antibody in clearance of Streptococcus pneumoniae in a murine model of colonization.

Colonization is the first step in the interaction between Streptococcus pneumoniae and its human host. To better understand the mechanisms contributing to natural carriage, a mouse model of pneumococcal colonization was developed with a clinical isolate of S. pneumoniae previously characterized in experimental colonization of humans.

Cross-reactivity of human immunoglobulin G2 recognizing phosphorylcholine and evidence for protection against major bacterial pathogens of the human respiratory tract.

Phosphorylcholine (ChoP) is an antigenic component on the cell surface of many commensal and pathogenic bacteria that reside in the upper airway. In the present study, human ChoP-specific antibody was affinity-purified from pooled serum gamma globulin. This naturally acquired antibody, which is primarily of the immunoglobulin (Ig) G2 subtype, recognized ChoP on the lipoteichoic acid of Streptococcus pneumoniae and on the lipopolysaccharide of Haemophilus influenzae, 2 of the leading etiologic agents of infection involving the human respiratory tract.

Serum immunoglobulin G response to candidate vaccine antigens during experimental human pneumococcal colonization.

The immune response to pneumococcal surface structures during colonization was examined in a model of experimental human pneumococcal carriage. Healthy uncolonized adults were given a type 23F or 6B pneumococcus, and a portion of these subjects became colonized (6 of 14 with type 23F and 6 of 8 with type 6B). Sera from colonized and uncolonized subjects were used to determine the titer of antibody specific to pneumococcal surface components under consideration in development of noncapsular polysaccharide-based vaccines.

The immune response to pneumococcal proteins during experimental human carriage.

Colonization of the nasopharynx is the initial step in all infections caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae. The antibody response to carriage was examined in an experimental model of human colonization in healthy adults. Asymptomatic colonization was detected in 6/14 subjects and continued for up to 122 d.