Antigenic heterogeneity of Bacteroides intermedius as recognized by monoclonal antibodies

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Abstract
Four hybrid cell lines secreting monoclonal antibodies against antigens of B. intermedius were generated by fusing murine NSI cells with splenocytes from a rat immunized with B. intermedius strain OMZ248. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA] was used to analyze the distribution of the recognized antigens on 39 strains from various Bacteroides spp. and on 5 strains from other genera. Only Bacteroides spp. B. intermedius, B. loescheii, B. melaninogenicus and B. corporis were found to express at least one of the recognized antigens. Strains of the 2 asaccharolytic black-pigmenting Bacteroides spp. were negative. Among the strains capable of binding to one or more of the monoclonal antibodies, 5 groups with different reactivity patterns could be distinguished. Two of the monoclonal antibodies were specific for B. intermedius. The B. intermedius strains were metabolically almost identical, expressed at least 3 of the recognized antigens, and fell into 3 distinct antibody reactivity groups, suggesting a tentative separation of this species into 3 new serogroups. Oral and honoral isolates of B. intermedius were not distinguished by the monoclonal antibodies. One monoclonal antibody was directed against an antigen strongly expressed on all saccharolytic black-pigmenting Bacteroides strains tested so far, thus confirming the previously noted antigenic relationship between the species which had emerged from the former B. melaninogenicus ssp. intermedius and B. melaninogenicus ssp. melaninogenicus groups.