IMMUNOBLOTTING ANALYSIS OF HUMAN IgM, IgG AND IgA RESPONSE TO CHROMOSOMALLY CODED ANTIGENS OF YERSINIA ENTEROCOLITICA 0:3

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Abstract
Human antibody response after Yersinia enterocolitica infection was studied by immunoblotting sequentially collected sera against a whole-cell homogenate of Y. enterocolitica serotype 0.3, grown under conditions restrictive for the plasmid. The antibodies observed were directed against a multitide of chromosomally coded antigens, and a considerable individual heterogeneity was found in the reactions of individual sera. The early (0-2 months) and late (.gtoreq. 11 months) responses were directed against the same antigenic determinants. Antibodies against different bacterial epitopes decreased evenly with time, indicaitng that several, if not all, antigenic epitoeps of the bacteria are responsible for the prolonged antibody production. IgM responses by most patients declined within a few months but were surprisingly strong in some even one year after onset of the infection. IgG antibodies showed a strong reaction against a region corresponding to lipid A and core of the bacterial LPS, whereas IgM and IgA recognized this region less often. No other significant differences between IgM, IgG and IgA responses were observed. Immunoblotting of sera from patients with post-infection complications (arthritis, iritis, erythema nodosum) did not reveal any additional or specifically involved antigens. Altogether, these findings suggest that Yersinia causing the original infection may hide in some of the patients for prolonged periods.