Serum IgM and C-Reactive Protein Binding to Phosphorylcholine of Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae Increases Complement-Mediated Killing.

ABSTRACT: Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) colonizes the human upper respiratory tract without causing disease symptoms, but it is also a major cause of upper and lower respiratory tract infections in children and elderly, respectively. NTHi synthesizes various molecules to decorate its lipooligosaccharide (LOS), which modulates the level of virulence. The presence of phosphorylcholine (PCho) on NTHi LOS increases adhesion to epithelial cells, which is an advantage for the bacterium enabling nasopharyngeal colonization. However, when PCho is incorporated on the LOS of NTHi, it is recognized by the acute-phase C-reactive protein (CRP) and PCho-specific antibodies, both potent initiators of the classical pathway of complement activation. We determined the presence of PCho and binding of IgG a

SUBMITTER: Langereis JD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6652778 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature