Passive Protection of Diabetic Rats with Antisera Specific for the Polysaccharide Portion of the Lipopolysaccharide Isolated fromPseudomonas pseudomallei

Abstract

Polyclonal and monoclonal antisera raised to tetanus toxoid-conjugated polysaccharide of lipopolysaccharide (lps) and purifiedlpsofPseudomonas pseudomalleithat reacted with a collection of 41 strains of this bacterium from 23 patients are described. The common antigen recognized by these sera was within the polysaccharide component of thelpsof the cells. The sera were specific forP pseudomalleiin that none of 37 strains of other bacteria, including 20 Gram-negative and three Gram-positive species, were recognized, although cross-reaction occurred using the anticonjugate serum with some strains ofPseudomonas cepaciaserotype A, a closely related bacterium. Passive protection studies using a diabetic rat model ofP pseudomalleiinfection showed that partially purified rabbit polyclonal and mouse monoclonal antisera were protective when the median lethal dose was raised by four to five orders of magnitude. The wide distribution of the polysaccharide antigen among isolates ofP pseudomalleiused in this study and the protective role of antibody to the conjugated polysaccharide antigen suggest potential as a vaccine.