IDENTIFICATION AND QUANTITATION OF PRECIPITINS AGAINST PSEUDOMONAS AERUGINOSA IN PATIENTS WITH CYSTIC FIBROSIS BY MEANS OF CROSSED IMMUNOELECTROPHORESIS WITH INTERMEDIATE GEL

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Abstract
Crossed immunoelectrophoresis with intermediate gel was used in an attempt to identify and quantitate precipitins against Pseudomonas aeruginosa in sera from 33 patients with Cystic Fibrosis. A standard antigen‐antibody system containing 55 precipitates was used as reference. A total of 173 precipitins against Pseudomonas aeruginosa were found in 20 of the sera. 56 per cent of the precipitins representing 30 different precipitin specificities could be identified and quantitated in relation to the reference system. As much as 22 precipitins were found in one serum. In one serum, the simultaneous occurrence of 6 Pseudomonas aeruginosa antigens and 15 Pseudomonas aeruginosa precipitins were demonstrated. Patients harbouring mucoid strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the respiratory tract were found to produce significantly more precipitins than other groups of subjects, and 23 out of the 30 different identified Pseudomonas aeruginosa precipitins were only found in this group of patients. Protective antibodies were not demonstrated. It is suggested that the mucoid strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa characteristic of patients with Cystic Fibrosis are selected in preference to the non‐mucoid strains by means of the patient's immune response. The persistent infection and the multiple precipitins produced against the bacteria by many of the patients raise the question whether the local immune reaction could enhance the destructive lesions of the respiratory tract.