Frequencies of lipopolysaccharide-defined epitopes in Haemophilus influenzae type b and non-typable isolates determined with monoclonal antibodies.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the frequency of expression and stability of saccharide epitopes in 178 Haemophilus influenzae (39 type b and 138 non-typable) isolates from blood, cerebrospinal fluid, nasopharynx, pharynx, middle ear, conjunctiva, and pleural and bronchial fluid from symptomatic and asymptomatic children using five murine monoclonal antibodies (MAbs, MAHI 3, 4, 6, 8, 10) specific for the oligosaccharide moiety of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of H. influenzae, which recognize defined saccharide structures. METHODS: A whole bacteria enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and colony dot immunoblotting were used to determine the frequency of expression and stability of saccharide epitopes in the 178 H. influenzae isolates. RESULTS: Six main groups of strains were differentiated based on the EIA binding pattern with the MAbs: group A, reactive with all five MAbs (MAHI 3, 4, 6, 8 and 10); group B, reactive with four MAbs (MAHI 3, 6, 8 and 10); group C, reactive with three MAbs (MAHI 3, 6 and 8); group D, reactive with three MAbs (MAHI 3, 6 and 10); group E, reactive with two MAbs (MAHI 3 and 10); group F, reactive with MAb MAHI 3. Group B was the most common classification overall. None of the strains remained non-reactive. The frequencies of the binding patterns among the isolates obtained from different sources appeared to be statistically similar in most of the cases. Indications of phase variation of the LPS epitopes were observed with all the MAbs for strains obtained from all clinical sources as evaluated by colony dot immunoblotting. One of the epitopes displayed 22% phase variation, while four other epitopes were variably expressed, with about 50% on-off expression. CONCLUSIONS: This set of MAbs showed 100% reactivity among the isolates, in both EIA and colony dot immunoblotting, and allowed us to differentiate strains based on the LPS phenotype by whole bacteria EIA. Phase variation was indicated among all the isolates, independent of the source of isolation, and for all five MAbs. The LPS of isolates from different clinical sources often expressed some of the epitopes recognized by the MAbs, and most of the LPS phenotypes appeared at similar frequencies among isolates.