The serological relationship betweenYersinia enterocoliticaO9 andEscherichia coliO157 using sera from patients with yersiniosis and haemolytic uraemic syndrome

Abstract

SUMMARYSera from patients with yersiniosis. shown to contain antibodies toYersinia enterocoliticaO9; and sera from patients with haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) caused byEscherichia coliO157, were used to investigate serological cross-reactions betweenY. enterocoliticaO9 andE. coliO157. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was isolated from strains ofY. enterocoliticaO9 andE. coliO157 and reacted with sera by immunoblotting and ELISA. Sera from patients with HUS contained antibodies to the LPS ofE. coliO157 only; 80% of sera from patients with yersiniosis contained antibodies to the LPS ofY. enterocoliticaO9 andE. coliO157. This one-way cross-reaction was also detected using hyperimmune rabbit antisera.