A surface polysaccharide antigen of Moraxella nonliquefaciens, reported to be cross-reactive with the capsular polysaccharides of group B Neisseria meningitidis and Escherichia coli K1 (K. Błvre, K. Bryn, O. Closs, N. Hagen, and L. O. Froholm, NIPH Ann. 6:65-73, 1983), was isolated, purified, and characterized chemically, immunologically, and by nuclear magnetic resonance. This polysaccharide w...

Two approaches were used to demonstrate that reduction in serum opsonization of Streptococcus pneumoniae via the alternative complement pathway in children with sickle cell disease is related to a deficiency of antibodies to pneumococcal capsular polysaccharide. First, opsonization of S. pneumoniae mediated by the alternative pathway in patients' sera was restored to normal by addition of the p...

The antibody response to Haemophilus influenzae type b antigens as capsular polysaccharide, lipopolysaccharide, and outer membrane components was studied by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 10 adults infected with this bacterium. Almost all patients had detectable amounts of immunoglobulins G and M antibodies specific to capsular polysaccharide, lipopolysaccharide, or outer membrane in thei...

Surface expression of the group 1 K30 capsular polysaccharide of Escherichia coli strain E69 (O9a:K30) requires Wza(K30), a member of the outer membrane auxiliary (OMA) protein family. A mutation in wza(K30) severely restricts the formation of the K30 capsular structure on the cell surface, but does not interfere with the biosynthesis or polymerization of the K30 repeat unit. Here we show that ...

Neisseria meningitidis group X occurs in human carrier populations and is rarely implicated in serious disease. This organism possesses a capsular group antigen which is an acidic polysaccharide. It is composed of the amino sugars, glucosamine, glucosamine-6-phosphate, galactosamine, and the simple hexose, glucose. The group X capsular antigen has an S(20,w) (0) of 3.6, and the acidic nature of...

1. Type-specific antipneumococcus immunity has been induced in rabbits by immunization with antigen prepared by combining a specific derivative of the capsular polysaccharide of Type III Pneumococcus with globulin from horse serum. 2. Rabbits immunized with this antigen acquire active immunity against infection with virulent Type III pneumococci. 3. The sera of the immune rabbits contain type-s...

Meningococcal meningitis is a severe, life-threatening infection for which no adequate vaccine exists. Current vaccines, based on the group-specific capsular polysaccharides, provide short-term protection in adults against serogroups A and C but are ineffective in infants and do not induce protection against group B strains, the predominant cause of infection in western countries, because the p...

1. Type-specific antipneumococcus immunity has been induced in rabbits by immunization with antigen prepared by combining a specific derivative of the capsular polysaccharide of Type III Pneumococcus with globulin from horse serum. 2. Rabbits immunized with this antigen acquire active immunity against infection with virulent Type III pneumococci. 3. The sera of the immune rabbits contain type-s...

The capsular polysaccharide is a critical virulence factor for group B streptococci associated with human infections, yet little is known about capsule biosynthesis. We detected CMP-Neu5Ac synthetase, the enzyme which activates N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac, or sialic acid) for transfer to the nascent capsular polysaccharide, in multiple group B streptococcus serotypes, all of which elaborate...

background: klebseilla pneumoniae causes urinary tract infections, nosocomial pneumonia and intra-abdominal infections. capsular antigens are considered to be the ultimate virulence determinants. among 77 capsular serotypes of k. pneumoniae, serotypes k1 and k2 are the most virulent ones in humans. objectives: we designed a pcr method for detection of capsular serotypes k1 and k2 of k. pneumoni...